FFX-3: A Rift Between Worlds
by Fuzzyfezz
Summary: Spira has been in an Eternal Calm for nearly nineteen years. But the peace is shattered the moment Tidus and Yuna's son receives a strange message from beyond the Farplane. A Rift is opening, and the very fate of Spira's existence rests in the hands of its former heroes. Told through the eyes of Lunic as he follows his family to another world in order to save his own.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Welcome to a new story, a version of what I would like to see from an FFX-3. If anyone has read my fic FFX-3: Legacy, you will recognize some names and characters in this fic. Consider this an AU, if you will, an alternate usage of them as characters for the purposes of this story. A more 'final fantasy'-esque tale. OC heavy, but the canon cast will remain main characters throughout.**

**I do hope you enjoy this prologue-ish chapter!**

**Reviews and critiques are more than welcome.**

* * *

The sun was shining brightly overhead, warming the pristine white beaches of Besaid Island. A gentle breeze swept through the foliage and trees as gulls cawed overhead. It was a gorgeous day and one that many of the denizens had elected to spend outside.

Lunic, however, was busy reading inside one of the temple chambers. He often spent his days in the enormous stone building, pulling down ancient texts, speaking with the priests and acolytes. True the Cloister of Trials and subsequent Chamber of the Fayth had been empty for many years now, but the memory of Yevon still held true for many people.

The faith had changed somewhat over the years, but the temples were still highly regarded and even protected by the New Spiran Council.

Lunic liked the peace he found within its walls. Sometimes the priests came together to sing the Hymn of the Fayth and when they did, Lunic always stopped to listen. His mother had once told him that the Hymn was used to calm the hearts of the faithful. And it certainly never failed to do so in his case.

As Lunic poured over the large tome he was reading, regarding what little Spirans truly knew of the Fayth, a strange chill swept through the air. It was as if something had passed by him. Or through him.

Looking up from his book, Lunic glanced around the empty chamber, blue eyes flickering to every corner, but there was nothing to be found.

Trying to return to his reading and ignore the unease settling in his gut, Lunic nearly jumped when he heard a voice whisper his name. He sat bolt upright, the book falling from his lap and he whipped his head around to examine the chamber.

Still…nothing.

But something inside of him was churning. A strange pull.

And before he knew what was happening, his feet were taking him out of the main hall and into the Cloister of Trials.

An oppressive silence rang in his ears as he entered the Cloister. It was almost suffocating and the chill he'd felt earlier seemed to linger in the air, growing stronger as he neared the Chamber of the Fayth. Lunic was shivering by the time he'd reached the lift, and even though fear threatened to paralyze him, he found himself unable to stop, stepping onto the lift and wincing as it activated, glowing beneath his feet. The lift took him downward before he could even think to change his mind and he found himself standing in the center of the Chamber, the chill in the air now making him shake.

A large, gaping hole that Lunic knew as an entrance to the Farplane from one of the priests lay before him. A faint whisper of wind tugged as his hair as he approached the hole, fear making his throat seem to close.

He wasn't sure what it was that had drawn him down here and why the Chamber he'd explored so many times suddenly felt so oppressive, but it was too late to turn back now. Suddenly, from within the hole a stream of pyreflies floated upwards. They spiraled in circles, performing an entrancing dance before a brilliant flash of light lit up the chamber, blinding Lunic and sending him stumbling backwards.

When he dared to open his eyes again, he blinked through the spots to see a figure hovering before him. It was a young boy, no older than him, wearing a dark purple robe, adorned with golden highlights.

"W-Who are you?" Lunic managed to find his voice as the apparition swept closer, seemingly examining him.

"A Fayth," the boy replied. "And you are Lunic."

"You know my name?"

"We know all about you," the Fayth responded, and although Lunic could not see his eyes beneath his hood, he could feel them boring into him. "You are the bridge."

Lunic was more than confused. The Fayth weren't supposed to exist anymore; he knew that from the books in the temples. They'd faded with the defeat of Sin, nearly nineteen years ago at this point. Spira had no need for Fayth and summoning anymore. Even still, he couldn't deny the mystical power this being exuded. If it wasn't a Fayth, it was certainly something.

"I don't understand," Lunic stammered.

"The Rift is opening," The Fayth said in lieu of a response. "The Dream is reemerging and you must close it. A child born of both worlds. That is the only power that can stop it."

"What are you talking about?" Lunic felt panicked now, his hands beginning to tremble. Receiving a warning, which is what it sounded like, from a creature that supposedly didn't exist anymore? He wasn't one hundred percent sure _he _wasn't dreaming.

The Fayth peered at him, pyreflies beginning to spiral around it once again. "Your world is in danger. Destroy the Rift. Destroy us. Let the Dream end."

Lunic just gaped, unable to pin his racing thoughts down quickly enough to clarify the Fayth's request. Before he could, another radiant flash of light filled the room and in the next instant Lunic was alone. The chill in the air had vanished along with the Fayth and from somewhere deep within the temple, he could hear the Hymn being sung.

Terrified and confused, Lunic stumbled to his feet, still staring at the spot the Fayth had been moments before.

"Lunic? You down there?"

He heard his sister's voice echoing from the top of the lift and hurried to the platform, his eyes pinned to the hole even as it rose and he left the Chamber behind.

Lumina stood at the top of the lift, their cousin Calli beside her, both of them waiting for him impatiently, hands planted on their hips.

"I knew we'd find you here," Lumina muttered, and Calli scoffed, most likely merely copying her cousin's annoyance out of admiration rather than any real animosity towards Lunic, he knew. "What are you doing messing around in the temple? The celebration is gonna start any minute."

"It's not even noon yet," Lunic objected, frightened for a moment that he'd gone through some sort of time warp with the Fayth.

Lumina waved a hand. "Yeah, but Uncle Gippal is gonna be here soon and Calli says he's bringing the best present. So I say it starts now."

His sister's smirk faded as she took in Lunic's expression. He knew his eyes were too wide, and he was sweating, his already pale skin probably pallid. He was still shaking too, clenched hands trembling at his sides.

"You okay?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah," was the only reply Lunic could think of.

Lumina's nose wrinkled in confusion, but she didn't push it, rolling her eyes instead and grabbing his arm. "Come on, let's go. I really don't know why you insist on hanging around this place. It's creepy."

For once—as he stumbled after his sister and Calli—Lunic was inclined to agree.

* * *

Lunic followed Lumina and Calli out of the temple and into the hot morning sun. He blinked, raising a hand to block its rays as they strolled through the town towards the beach. Besaid had grown since he'd been born. It now sported a larger dock with fishing boats coming to and fro to do business with the islanders. The textile production in Besaid had boomed as well, and when they'd begun exporting their wares across Spira, the once small island village had grown into a bustling town comparable to Kilika. Many unexplored parts of the island had been settled, the older ruins cleared completely of fiends and restored. It may have seemed strange to some to see machina inventions scattered throughout the island in the past, but times had changed, and Lunic had never known any differently. The only reason he knew it was strange was thanks to the old books stored in the temples.

They passed plenty of islanders raising decorations in the main plaza, stringing lights and hanging signs. They waved jovially to Lumina as she passed, some calling out birthday wishes.

She was turning seventeen today, the same age, Lunic knew, that their mother and father had been when they went on their journey to defeat Sin.

She was coming of age as far as the Besadians were concerned. And the High Summoner's eldest daughter deserved a magnificent celebration.

Lunic watched as Lumina waved back to a few of the townspeople, offering them all a beaming smile, and even high fiving a few of the younger children as they circled around her and Calli.

Lumina may have looked quite a bit like their mother, but she carried none of the same grace. Even so, the bombastic personality she seemed to share with their father had drawn many of the islanders to her when she was young. That and, Lunic was sure, their parentage had plenty to do with how they were regarded amongst the people.

Lunic tended to slip by unnoticed most times. He was much more reserved, quiet. He didn't enjoy the spotlight as much as Lumina did. Those who did know him well on the island gave him his space, and those who didn't frightened him off with their undiluted praise. Being three years younger than his sister didn't help either. He was either treated like a baby or a fragile porcelain doll. Calli was his age too, but she liked to pretend she was older, tailing Lumina like a shadow every time she visited the island. Sometimes it got on his nerves, other times he was grateful that Lumina's teasing was targeted at somebody else.

As the trio made their way down to the beach, Lunic saw a large red airship parked out on the water beyond the docks. Immediately recognizing it as his Al Bhed aunt and uncle's, Lunic hung back a ways. The two were far too overbearing for his taste, and Gippal always caught him headlocks he must have assumed were endearing but really just hurt.

Lumina and Calli were already running ahead, racing out to the edge of the docks to meet Gippal and Rikku.

"Happy birthday, kid," Lunic heard Gippal congratulate Lumina, ruffling her shoulder length brown hair affectionately.

"Thanks!" Lumina beamed, her eyes darting back to the ship behind them even as Rikku moved to hug her. "Calli, um, said something about a gift?"

Gippal laughed and reached into his pocket. "That's right I do have something for you."

He pulled out a small machina device with a single button on its surface. With a wink and a grin, he pressed the button and the loading bay of the Celsius opened up. There was a loud whirring sound and then out of the bay shot a sleek black airship. It didn't look big enough to hold more than two people, and even then only if they squished together, but Lumina's face lit up and she bounced on her toes as the ship came to land on the beach behind them.

"That's for me?" Lumina asked, her body leaning toward the ship as if she were itching to run for it.

"All yours, kid. We'll have to teach you how to fly it, but that won't take long. It's a piece of cake, trust me."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Lumina whirled around and threw her arms around Gippal's middle, then Rikku's, before bounding over to the ship, raising one hand to examine its surface. Calli followed after her, leaving Lunic standing far too close to Gippal, and before he knew it he'd been captured in a suffocating headlock.

"How's my favorite nephew?" He teased, rubbing Lunic's head with his knuckles.

Lunic struggled to free himself, choking on his response. "I—can't—breathe."

Quickly, Rikku put a hand on Gippal's arm. "You're strangling him, Gip."

"Sorry," he chuckled, releasing Lunic and rubbing the back of his neck. "You alright?"

Lunic nodded, gasping for breath.

"Where are your parents?" Rikku asked, beginning to lead the way off the docks and towards the girls who were still fawning over the airship.

"They're helping set up the celebration," Lunic answered, trailing after them. He hadn't seen his parents when they'd passed the main plaza, but he knew they were around somewhere.

Rikku jerked her chin for Gippal to follow her off the beach, which he did, but not before turning to address the kids. "Alright, kiddos. No flying that thing till I get back, okay? Oh! Lumina. Here."

He tossed her a small key and then scurried after Rikku, leaving the trio alone. Lunic placed his hand on the surface of the airship, running his fingers along the white ridge that looped all the way around it. When he looked up at Lumina and Calli, who had gone eerily silent, he saw them exchanging mischievous glances.

"W—What?"

Lumina grabbed his arms and moved him away from the airship. "We're gonna take this thing for a spin."

"What? But Gippal just told you not to fly it!" Lunic objected, but Lumina waved his objection away.

"Yeah, and then he handed me the key. Besides, Calli knows how to fly an airship, don't you Calli?"

Calli nodded. "Oh totally. It's easy!"

"See?" Lumina walked backwards towards the ship, raising her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. "We'll be fine. It'll be super quick, don't worry."

"Lumina, I don't think that—,"

"We'll see you soon!" With that Lumina opened the cockpit and dove inside, Calli right behind her.

Lunic watched helplessly as the roof of the airship slid shut with a click. There was a brief pause where nothing happened as Lumina and Calli fiddled with the controls and then the launchers at the back of the airship ignited and it shot into the air, disappearing amongst the wispy clouds.

Lunic raised a hand to block out the sun, straining to catch sight of the airship as it bounced up and down through the clouds. It straightened out momentarily, took a dive, then rose back up and disappeared around the side of a cliff, leaving Lunic alone on the beach.

_Great._

* * *

Lunic made his way back to town slowly, trying to come up with some excuse for Lumina and Calli's absence as he walked. He'd never been a good liar, but why should he cover for them anyway? They were the ones who had disobeyed. Lumina's punishment would be when she wrecked her own birthday present on the reefs.

Wandering into the center of town, he came across Vidina, who was directing a few of the other Aurochs as they raised a large banner in the middle of the plaza.

"Hey, Lunic," he waved a hand, eyes still trained on his task as Lunic approached. "You seen your sister?"

"…No."

Vidina looked around at him. "Well if you do, tell her to hurry, ya? The celebration is gonna start any time now. Can't really have it without the guest of honor."

Lunic nodded once and shuffled past the larger boy towards his own house. It was more of an elaborate cabin really, but they had more than one story. Only the most well off citizens of Besaid could afford a home like his. Even if they could, not many opted for one, preferring the simple idealized version of life on Besaid.

Wakka and Lulu still lived next door, but even their house was smaller, despite Wakka's status as Besaid's leader. Preference, Lunic knew. It didn't speak to his position.

Pushing open the front door, Lunic came face to face with chaos. His mother and Lulu were running around the living room, setting up plates and silverware as delicious smells wafted from the kitchen. After the main celebration with the islanders, Lunic knew that he and the rest of the family would gather here and share in a much more intimate party.

"Oh, Lunic, there you are." Yuna stopped trying to fold a napkin in the shape of a Divebeak and gestured him over. Lunic shuffled to her side and she put her hands on his shoulders, guiding him towards the stairs. "Will you grab your father and tell him we need him down here, please?"

She pressed a kiss to his cheek and pushed him on his way without giving him a chance to respond. Doing as he was told, Lunic made his way upstairs to his father's work room. He'd garnered a fascination for machina back when Lunic was just a baby and spent the time he wasn't training the Aurochs working on little inventions. They often failed, he was terrible with machina, but his passion never faltered.

Sure enough, Lunic found Tidus sitting at his desk, hunched over in his chair. To his surprise it was not a machina in front of him, but a gleaming blue sword. Tidus was running a cloth over its surface, pulling a shine from the shimmering blade.

"Dad?"

He whirled around; startled out of his work, only calming again when he saw who it was. "Oh, good. I thought you were your sister for a sec." He waved Lunic over, grinning excitedly. "C'mere. I want you to see her gift."

Lunic joined Tidus at the table, leaning over his shoulder to examine the blade.

"You're giving her a sword?"

Tidus nodded, beaming.

"Why? What does she need a sword for?"

His father's smile fell a bit. "Well, it's not really that she _needs_ it. It's symbolic. A gift to pass down through the generations, if you will."

A pang of jealousy passed through Lunic's chest that his father's old sword was going to Lumina and not him. Not that he would ever have a reason to use it…

"This was the sword your Uncle Wakka gave to me. Protected me and the others pretty well during the pilgrimage. I hate to see it just collecting dust, y'know?"

Lunic decided not to point out that it would probably just collect dust in Lumina's closet anyway.

"It's cool, dad."

"Yeah, isn't it?" Tidus grinned at him and then caught the slump in his shoulders. "Don't worry; I've got a great gift for you when your birthday rolls around, alright?"

Lunic nodded once and then pointed towards the door. "Mom says she needs you downstairs."

"Oh boy," Tidus sighed, bracing his hands on his knees before rising to his feet. "I was hoping to avoid the chaos."

As he passed, he ruffled Lunic's shaggy blonde hair. "Go find your sister. We're gonna get this thing started soon."

Lunic groaned once Tidus was gone. He hadn't signed up to be errand boy today and his meeting with the Fayth was still clawing at the back of his mind.

What did it all mean?

* * *

Luckily, Lunic ran into Calli and Lumina just as he was about to leave town and head back towards the beach. They were giggling to one another, but looked no worse for wear, so Lunic thought it was safe to assume they had succeeded in _not_ crashing the airship.

Lumina caught sight of him, her face immediately scrunching into a frown. "There you are. Way to keep watch for us."

Lunic gaped at her. "But you never said—,"

"Save it," she glanced around at the gathered townsfolk, her grimace beginning to fade. "Are we getting started?"

"We are now that you're here," Vidina called, approaching the group and tugging Lumina into a tight hug. "Where you been? You smell like engine oil."

Lumina shoved him off, the speed of which she spun a lie almost impressing Lunic. "I was helping Calli fix something on the Celsius and one of the gaskets exploded. We dunked ourselves in the ocean to clean up, but it didn't get rid of the smell."

It was barely passable, she wasn't even damp, but Vidina would believe her. Vidina believed anything Lumina told him.

"Well, I'd tell you to go wash up, but everybody's getting' ancy, ya? Whaddya say we get started?" He broached the question to the crowd behind him, who threw up their arms in a cheer.

Lunic followed his sister as she waded into the crowd, accepting the handshakes and pats on the back with a gracious smile. One thing was for sure, there was nothing quite like a Besaid celebration.

* * *

It was very late and Lunic was very tired by the time the celebration in the square died down. Still, he knew there was dinner to be had with his family inside their cabin. Watching as his parents and Lumina accepted the last of the congratulations; he joined the others outside the cabin doors, yawning widely.

Lulu placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him when he blinked blearily at her. "Are you going to make it?"

He nodded, putting on a brave face to assure her. There was no one on the island he got along with better than Lulu. In fact, he often found himself thinking of her as nothing less than a second mother. Her quiet dignity never failed to impress him and the words of wisdom she seemed to have for every possible situation were invaluable.

Yuna, Tidus and Lumina soon joined the others by the door and Rikku led the way inside, gathering everyone around the dining table. They all sat together, Lunic picking a spot closest to Tidus at the end of the table opposite his sister.

As the rest ate and laughed, Lunic picked listlessly at his dinner, his mind still on the strange conversation he'd had with the Fayth earlier that day. The words rang over and over in his mind, but still, they made no sense. A Rift? A bridge? The Dream? What was he supposed to make of it all?

Tidus, seeming to notice Lunic's restlessness, reached over and ruffled his blonde hair. Keeping his hand on his head, he drew Lunic closer so as not to alert the rest of the family, who was engaged in some loud story Lumina was telling.

"You alright, bud? You don't look so good. Feeling sick?"

Lunic shook his head, the warmth of his father's hand comforting amidst the confusion. "I'm okay."

Guilt twisted his gut as Tidus' face only grew more concerned. Lunic knew he should tell his parents what he'd seen, what he'd heard. If anyone knew about the Fayth it was them. But something held him back. Uncertainty, maybe? He didn't want anyone to worry if it was just some sort of strange vision he'd had. Even still, anxiety was making it impossible to pretend everything was alright.

Tidus didn't seem to need any more convincing that something was wrong. Rising from the table, he gestured for Lunic to follow him. "Wanna help me with the cake?"

Lunic looked at the others who were now watching them both, save for Calli who was currently building some sort of castle out of the food on her plate. Nodding furiously, Lunic scooted back in his chair and scurried after Tidus, who gave everyone a smile and said, "We'll be back with the dessert."

Lunic followed him into the kitchen, bracing himself against the counter as Tidus went about preparing the cake Lulu had made with a few candles.

"So what's goin' on?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the cake and his voice light, although Lunic knew he'd probably sensed the deep unease now nesting in his heart. This was his father after all. And while Lunic had never been good at lying, Tidus was a hard one to fool anyway.

"I…" Lunic paused before deciding if he didn't tell someone, he would probably burst. "I saw something weird in the temple today."

"Weird?" Tidus looked over his shoulder. "Like a fiend weird? Or a priest doing the Macarena weird?"

"Like…A…Fayth, weird."

Tidus' hands froze over the cake and slowly, he turned around to face Lunic. His blue eyes were wide and filled with what Lunic could only identify as fear, which, scared him in turn.

"What?" Tidus took a cautious step towards him, as if he were wary of Lunic. "You're sure it was a Fayth?"

"That's what it told me," Lunic said, voice trembling. "He was wearing a purple robe and he didn't—,"

Lunic jumped when Tidus nearly stumbled back against the counter. He hid his face in his hands and then ran his fingers through his hair, eyes now flickering back and forth.

"Alright, listen," he began, suddenly crossing the kitchen to kneel in front of Lunic and grabbing his arms tightly. The dark expression he wore startled Lunic. "You cannot tell the others about this. Especially not your mother. Not right now. Tomorrow, you and me, we'll go to the temple and—,"

Suddenly, Lunic saw a pyrefly. It rose up from behind his father, or maybe…from within him? Lunic wasn't sure. But suddenly, there were surrounded by pyreflies, all of them making circles around his father's now shaking frame. Tidus yelped loudly and leapt away from Lunic, holding up his hands in front of his face as if to make sure they were still there.

Lunic gaped up at him, unsure of what to do besides panic. "Dad?"

"Is everything alright in there?"

They heard Rikku's voice and then, before anyone could respond, Lumina appeared in the doorway. She took in the scene quickly, her blue eyes widening before she whipped around and called to Yuna, "Mom!"

There was a flurry of footsteps and a squeak of chairs, and then Yuna and the rest of the dinner party also appeared in the doorway. Rikku's hands flew to her mouth as she saw the cloud of pyreflies surrounding Tidus, a terrified gasp escaping her. Lunic stumbled backward as Yuna hurried to his father's side. The first thing she did was take his hands, clenching them tightly together and holding them against her chest. Tidus met her gaze, confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Yuna, I—I'm sorry…"

"Look at me," she demanded; keeping his hands close with one of hers and placing the other against his cheek. "You're here. You're not going to fade. Keep your eyes on mine." There was a pause followed by a broken whisper. "_Please_."

Lunic stared at the interaction, fear flooding through his body and making his head spin. He wasn't sure what was going on, but from the way his mother's voice trembled, he knew it was nothing good.

Tidus leaned forward, touching his forehead to Yuna's and the group waited in tense silence until suddenly, the pyreflies began to dissipate. They shimmered and whispered and then a bright light filled the room and they were gone. Tidus immediately sunk to his knees, Yuna following him down as they clutched each other.

"What's going on?" The question came from Lumina, whose arms were wrapped around herself for comfort. "What was that?"

"Come."

Lunic looked up to see Lulu gesturing for him. Glancing back at the shaking image of his parents, Lunic made his way over to the group at the door just as Rikku and Wakka rushed forward.

"What's going on?" Rikku echoed Lumina's earlier question as she knelt beside Tidus and Yuna.

"I don't know," Tidus' voice quavered in a way Lunic had never heard before. "I was just—We were just talking."

"This been happenin' a lot?" Wakka asked.

"No, no," Tidus shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as if his head hurt. "No, this hasn't been happening a lot, _Wakka_."

The snap in his voice made everyone pause and Lulu began ushering them away, leaving only Gippal standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry…"

Lunic heard his father's apology to his best friend, but Lulu was herding them into the next room despite Lumina's vocal protests.

"Wh—Hey, what are you doing? Lulu! Come on, what's going on?"

"I'm sure they'll tell you soon enough," Lulu murmured, her ruby eyes on the kitchen. "For now, give your father a moment, alright?"

Lumina looked like she was ready to argue again, but Lulu shot her a warning glance and she snapped her mouth shut.

A sickening ache was making itself at home in the pit of Lunic's stomach. He didn't wasn't quite sure how, but deep down, he knew the appearance of the Fayth and his father's…attack were connected.

Lumina must have caught the furrow in his brow because she leaned towards him, blue eye boring into his, and asked, "What do you know?"

Lulu, Calli and Vidina all looked at him as well, and Lunic felt the color drain from his face.

"Lunic?" Lulu prompted. "…_Do_ you know something?"

Lunic looked down at his feet, struggling to summon the courage he needed in that moment. Finally, he looked back up, meeting each of their gazes in turn.

"I spoke with a Fayth."

While Vidina, Lumina and Calli all shared expressions of shock or confusion, Lulu closed her eyes and rested her head in the palm of her hand.

"What does that mean?" Lumina asked, her confusion turning her lips down into a scowl.

"I dunno," Lunic admitted. "He said something about a Rift opening. A child of two worlds. He—It didn't make any sense. I'm sorry."

Clearly frustrated, Lumina turned to Lulu instead and asked again, "What does that mean?"

"It means," Lulu began, her red eyes filled with grief. "That your father is in trouble."

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to chapter 2. This goes out to Nikki of Spira for giving me the confidence to continue. :)**

* * *

It was only after they were sure Tidus was stable that everybody left for the evening. They filed out one-by-one, Rikku clinging to Tidus longer than was probably necessary, but the tension in the air was palpable. Wakka gave him a solid clap on the back before leaving and even Lulu rubbed his shoulder in a rare display of affection.

As soon as the family was alone, Yuna guided them all to the living room, sitting Lunic and Lumina down at the couch. She offered to help Tidus into an armchair, as he was still visibly shaking, but he waved her hands away, probably attempting to save what was left of his pride. A very loud silence fell over them once they were all sitting around the coffee table.

Lumina sat hunched against the couch, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, an angry scowl marring her features. Lunic sat beside her, his entire body taught as a wire. Tidus was slumped over, staring at his hands where they rested in his lap, as if he expected them to disappear at any moment.

Finally, it was Lumina who broke the silence.

"What in Spira was that?" she shouted, startling them all so badly that they jumped. Really it shouldn't have surprised them, Lunic thought. Lumina's reaction to conflict had always been anger first and foremost.

"Lumina, please." Yuna's tone was patient but firm. "We'll…Explain everything. But you have to try to calm down."

"How can I calm down?" Lumina's voice had not shrunk in the slightest. "Dad looked like an unsent! Lunic's seeing things that don't exist and Lulu said dad's in big trouble!"

"Lumina—,"

"It's alright, Yuna," Tidus interrupted, still staring at his hands. "Let her yell. They both deserve to. We kept this from them for a long time."

"Kept what?" Lumina asked, her worried gaze flipping anxiously between their parents. "What is going on?"

Tidus and Yuna exchanged an unreadable glance and then Tidus heaved a sigh, leaning forward on his knees. "I'm not exactly what you think I am."

"What does that mean?" Lunic managed to ask, his voice trembling.

Tidus paused a moment to chew on his lip before responding. "You remember those stories we told you, when you were younger? About your mom's journey to defeat Sin?"

Lunic did, although Lumina looked confused. He'd always paid far more attention to the stories of their parents' past than his sister had. Lunic preferred knowledge. Lumina preferred to bask in the glory of it all.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lumina asked, solidifying her ignorance.

"Well, we left out a really important part," Tidus continued patiently. "Back then, when we learned about Zanarkand being nothing more than a Dream of the Fayth, well…So was I."

Both Lunic and Lumina stared at him in stunned silence.

"I wasn't born here. I came from Zanarkand. I was pulled to Spira to help defeat Sin. And when the Dream faded, I did too."

"Wh—," Lunic began to clarify his confusion, but Lumina cut him off.

"But you're here! That doesn't make any sense. What do you mean you faded? How could you be a dream?"

Tidus opened his mouth, but Yuna rested a gentle hand on his, signaling that she would like to continue. "Two years passed after Sin was defeated and I went on another journey with Rikku and Paine."

Lunic knew this story too. In fact, in a lot of ways he liked it better than the story about Sin. Back then, his mother had been harboring a lot of unspoken pain. But when she talked about her days with the Gullwings, her beautiful bi colored eyes lit up and she seemed to glow as she recounted their missions.

"Eventually, we found a sphere that held a recording of a man who looked a lot like your father."

"But he wasn't," Lunic said, ignoring the venomous look Lumina shot him. It wasn't his fault he knew more than her. "And you had to stop him from firing a dangerous Machina at all of Spira."

Yuna nodded, a small smile indicating the pride she had in her son at that moment. "The Fayth appeared to me then too. He asked if I would like to walk with your father again."

She looked at Tidus, who had taken her hand and was squeezing it comfortingly.

"When he reappeared, we didn't question how he'd returned. We just…accepted it." Yuna's gaze fell to her lap, almost ashamed. "It was easier than wondering and worrying."

Lumina's scowl had deepened and she waved her hands to stop the story. "So, hold on. You don't know what he's been this whole time? Seventeen years? Is it…Even possible he's still a dream? I mean—," She gestured vaguely to both herself and Lunic.

"We don't know," Tidus answered honestly. "It doesn't seem possible that I'm anything less than real. But what happened with the pyreflies…It looked just like the night I faded from Spira."

"We could talk to the Fayth again," Lunic suggested, his mind spinning a mile a minute. "He can give us the answers. Right? I mean, if he's the one who brought dad back in the first place."

Tidus nodded, but his eyes were tired. Yuna refused to meet anyone's gaze and Lumina was glancing between them all haplessly.

"Right now," Yuna said, rising from her chair. "I think we all need rest. It's very late. We can discuss our options in the morning."

Lunic didn't object, although he wanted to, as Yuna left and Tidus gave them both a sad smile. It occurred to Lunic then that if anything were to happen during the night, this might be the last time he'd ever see his father. Despite that knowledge, he sat frozen in place on the couch as Tidus stood, patting each of their heads in turn before following Yuna upstairs.

Lunic's gaze dropped to his lap and hot tears stung the corners of his eyes. Lumina sat beside him, uncharacteristically quiet, as she too absorbed all that they'd been told.

"I'm going to bed," she said finally, standing so quickly that the movement startled Lunic out of his reverie.

He watched as she swept out of the living room and up the stairs, leaving him alone as his mind continued to turn. What the Fayth said about ending the Dream…Did that include his father? And what was the Rift? Something about the Zanarkand his father had come from, perhaps? One of the biggest questions tugging at his mind, he realized, was what the Fayth had said about being a child of both worlds. If his father was indeed, still a dream…what did that make Lunic?

He was still reeling from the fact that most of what he'd been told of his father's life before them was a lie. He remembered being told that his father was born in Luca, moving to Besaid once he'd failed to join the Goers and instead meeting his mother and joining her quest to defeat Sin, who had killed both of his grandparents long before he was born. It was making him reel to realize it had all been a lie. His father had been born in another world, another time. It stung, but it also made sense as to why they would try to protect him and Lumina from this strange truth. It was all too much to take in.

Shaking his head to clear the spiraling thoughts, Lunic quickly rose from the couch and dashed after the others. It was dark on the first landing and he nearly collided with his sister, who had stopped and was currently crouched beside their parent's bedroom. The door had been left slightly ajar, and through the crack, Lunic could see his father pacing back and forth, running his hands through his messy blonde hair.

His arm was nearly yanked out of its socket as Lumina dragged him down to sit beside her, holding a finger to her lips to signal him to be silent.

"We should really go see the Fayth now," Tidus was murmuring, pacing in front of the bed. "We can't be sure that nothing will happen during the night. If you wake up and I'm—,"

"Nothing's going to happen." Lunic couldn't see his mother through the tiny crack, but she sounded almost…angry.

"You don't know that," Tidus objected, his own voice rising slightly.

"You don't either."

Sighing, Tidus brought his hands to his face, rubbing it furiously. "Look, I'll go to the temple now, see what he has to say. As long as we have some sort of answer, whether it's good or bad—,"

"No."

"What do you mean no?" Tidus shouted, throwing his arms out.

"I mean no!" Lunic didn't hear his mother yell often, but it was sort of…terrifying when she did. "You can't go see the Fayth. Not tonight. Not tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? Do you want answers or not? I have to go."

"You can't go," Yuna objected and Lunic finally saw her come into view, her arms wrapped around her middle as if she was trying to hold herself together. "Because what if he takes you away from me again? What if you don't come back?"

Tidus' arms fell back to his sides, his face softening. "Yuna…Whether I see him myself or not…That's a possibility."

She shook her head, silently, but Lunic saw her shoulders beginning to shake with sobs.

"You can't go," she whimpered. "I thought it hurt to lose you after knowing you for a year…But seventeen? What would I do?"

"Oh, Yuna." Tidus crossed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms, one hand cradling the back of her head and bringing her against his chest. "I won't let that happen. I'll—I'll do something."

A wet chuckle cut through Yuna's tears. "Where have I heard those words before?"

"And I followed through that back then too, didn't I?" He smiled, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead. There was a long pause as his parents simply held each other, swaying slightly. "I just want answers…After all these years; losing this life that we've built together…I couldn't bear to do that to you. To the kids."

Yuna pulled back slightly to look up at him, her hands rising to cup his cheeks. "We'll figure something out, right? We always have."

He nodded, a tender smile gracing his lips. "Always."

Lunic looked away then; the gentleness of the moment that they weren't supposed to be watching making him squirm. He felt Lumina's hand around his arm then, like a vice as she tugged him down the hallway toward her room.

The door swung shut behind them with a soft click and Lunic hopped up onto her bed, his gaze unconsciously wandering around the space. He wasn't allowed in here often, but his sister's messy room was such a contrast to his own, it was impossible not to be intrigued. Her Blitz clothes were scattered all over the floor, Auroch's uniform wrinkled and dirty. Dozens of Blitzball posters adorned the walls, some depicting star players, but the biggest one was of the Auroch's during last year's Crystal Cup match. They'd come in second to the Goers, but Lunic had never seen his sister and Vidina smile so wide. She had a poster of their father too, back when he'd been Captain of the Aurochs. Lunic stared up at it, searching his father's face as if the answers would appear if he looked hard enough.

"Alright," Lumina began, sitting on the bed beside him and drawing her legs up. "I say we go talk to the Fayth. Tonight."

For a moment, Lunic waited for his own objection to spring forth, but nothing did. He wanted answers just as much as Lumina did, and it was clear from the conversation they'd witnessed between their parents that they were too afraid to go themselves.

"Mom and dad aren't gonna do it," Lumina continued, giving voice to his thoughts. "Or at least not tonight and by tomorrow it could be too late. So, let's go back to the temple and you call the Fayth again and we ask him what in Spira is going on."

"Okay."

Surprise took over Lumina's face; she'd obviously expected a little opposition. "Yeah?"

But Lunic was not willing to lose his father over a little fear of the Fayth. "Yeah."

"Great!" Lumina immediately lowered her voice. "We'll wait until they both go to sleep and then head out. Go back to your room just in case they check on us. I'll come grab you when it's time."

Lunic nodded again and scooted off the bed. He snuck out of the room, tip toeing past his parent's still open door and down the hall. He could still hear them murmuring as he passed, but the light had been turned off. It wouldn't be long until they were fast asleep.

Opening the door to his own room, Lunic slipped inside and headed for his closet. Nights on Besaid tended to hold a significant chill, and all he wore was his light beach tunic and pants. Throwing on a thick white robe he'd received from one of his favorite island visitors, Maechen, Lunic then slipped into bed, hiding underneath the covers.

He waited for any sound of his parents coming to check on them, but there was nothing. If anything, he assumed they'd already fallen asleep, still tangled up in each other. The fear he'd seen from both of them tonight was both startling and moving. It didn't surprise him really that they'd hidden his father's strange state of reality from them, especially since it seemed to cause both of them so much pain. But now that his very existence was in question, there was no more hiding it. And it was up to all of them to figure out what to do next. Whether his parents liked it or not he and Lumina were a part of this too.

Time seemed to stretch, the only sound in the room that of his heart thudding loudly in his chest. After what seemed like ages, but had probably been no more than a few minutes, the door to his room creaked open and Lumina stuck her head in.

"Let's go…"

Throwing off the covers, Lunic leapt up, scurrying after her as they tip toed downstairs. He was still so lost in his own thoughts, however, that he accidentally stepped on the one creaky stair at the bottom of the flight. They both paused, flinching and waiting for a response from upstairs. But, luckily, none came.

Taking his hand, Lumina pulled Lunic forward and hurried him out of the house into the streets of Besaid. A few scattered torches lit the way, as lights from all but a select few of the houses had been put out for the night. It was well past midnight at this point, and for any Besadian to be up at this hour was unheard of. Still, Lumina and Lunic crept carefully through the streets, heading for the temple as quickly and silently as they could.

It rose up before them as they approached; looking somehow far more daunting than Lunic had ever remembered it being. The inside was cold; the same chill he'd felt when talking with the Fayth seeping into his bones through the robe. Together, they made their way through the empty halls and into the Cloister. Lunic knew the way well and Lumina let him take the lead, following close behind, her head seemingly on a constant swivel as they walked through the dark passages.

"You okay?" Lunic asked when she'd nearly bumped into a third wall.

"I don't understand why you hang out in this place," she muttered angrily, trying to salvage her pride. "It's so creepy."

"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Lunic drawled.

"Well, it's true!"

"It's also full of history and it's where mom and dad met. It's a sacred place."

Lumina rolled her eyes. "Yevon is outdated and everybody knows it."

"Maybe," Lunic couldn't really argue that point. "But the temples are always going to be important to Spira's history."

He heard Lumina scoff again, but she said nothing, so Lunic considered that a win on his part. The two made their way to the lift in silence, both of them jumping as the glyph beneath their feet lit up, taking them down to the Chamber of the Fayth.

Lunic could see his breath forming crystals before his eyes as they entered the Chamber. It was even darker than it had been in the Cloister, the only light coming from the pyreflies that danced above the hole to the Farplane. He stared at them for a moment, waiting for the Fayth to take shape, but nothing happened.

"Well?" He stumbled forward when Lumina jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Call it, let's get this over with."

"I didn't call it last time," he objected, shooting a scowl in her direction. "He…Called me."

He couldn't see Lumina's face, but he could practically feel the frustration coming off of her in waves. "You're kidding. What do we do then?"

"I mean, I can try to call him. Just…Hang on."

Lunic took a cautious step forward, flinching when the pyreflies scattered, seeming to react to his movement. They reformed slowly and Lunic only dared to move once they had resumed their swirling pattern.

Carefully, he reached one hand out as if to touch them, focusing all of his thoughts on the image of the Fayth as it had appeared before him.

_Please_, he tried to think the words into existence without letting them leave his mouth. _Please be here._ _ I need answers._

Lunic's trembling fingers reached further, the tip of his pointer finger brushing one of the pyreflies and in the next second a dazzling glow seemed to emanate from his palm. It morphed with the pyrefly's own light and once the spots cleared from his eyes, he saw the Fayth floating before them.

Lumina yelped and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over herself in the dark.

"Another," the Fayth said simply, his hooded gaze on Lumina.

"This is my sister," Lunic explained, a strange sense of calm washing over him now that the Fayth was here. He had managed to call it and now it would explain what was going on. Everything would be fine.

"We know her," the Fayth replied. "The first born. The bridge."

"I thought—," Lunic began as an odd sense of jealousy washed over him. The Fayth's earlier message had seemed directed at him. Just as soon as it had appeared however, the feeling faded. Being more important than his sister didn't matter. What mattered was clarifying what the Fayth was saying. "I don't understand. What you told me earlier, can you explain? My father…He almost faded tonight. Why? What's the bridge and the Rift? What is the Dream?"

The Fayth was silent, staring at both of them for so long that Lunic wondered if it had even heard him. He opened his mouth to ask again, when suddenly the Fayth spoke.

"You are the bridge," he looked at both of them. "A child born of both Zanarkand and Spira. The Dream of the Fayth made into reality."

"And what does a bridge do exactly?" Lumina spoke up from close beside Lunic, her voice quavering uncharacteristically.

"You have the power to close the Rift between realities. Zanarkand is reemerging. It's very existence threatens that of Spira's."

"But…How?" Lunic asked, struggling to recall everything he'd learned from his books. "Zanarkand disappeared years ago. It faded with Sin, with our father."

"Shuyin," the Fayth murmured, as if the single word explained everything. "His hate and malice. Seventeen years ago, his shadow pulled us into darkness. He twisted our minds and our power. His hate summoned the Dark Aeons. And along with it a Dark Zanarkand."

Lumina and Lunic exchanged confused glances, but the Fayth continued unprompted.

"His memories of his home, of the war, combined with his power over us, another dream was born. But it is dark. A nightmare. A twisted version of our own memories. A shadow of the former Dream. And it has grown with each passing year we have continued to dream it. A great darkness is forming within it. It is opening now and it threatens to spill into your world."

"So why can't you just stop dreaming it, huh? Shuyin is gone." Lumina looked to Lunic as if to make sure she was correct. He nodded and returned his attention to the Fayth.

"She's right. He was finally put to rest. Why did this Zanarkand stay behind?"

"Lady Yuna was the one to put Shuyin to rest, along with the darkness inside the Aeons. But she did not know of Zanarkands reemergence. Neither did we, until it began to feed on our power more and more, slowly absorbing us until it became strong enough to exist on its own. Now our Dream has become our own prison. And the Rift widens."

"The Rift?" Lunic repeated. "So Zanarkand connects to Spira through you?"

The Fayth nodded. "Destroy the Rift. Destroy us. Let the Dream end."

Lumina elbowed Lunic again and suddenly he remembered their father. "But what about our Dad? You brought him back. Won't ending the Dream end him too?"

The Fayth tilted his chin as if deep in thought. "He is no longer a dream. But he is not of Spira either."

"But the pyreflies…" Lunic was struggling to understand all of this.

"They react to him as they would any shadow of Zanarkand. He remains connected to that world."

"But he won't disappear, right?" Lumina asked, her voice strained. "He's not a dream anymore?"

"I cannot say," The fayth sounded sad. "When we collected his thoughts and memories to return him to Spira, we used what little remained of our power to make him corporeal. What keeps him tethered to your world now is a power beyond mine."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Lumina shouted, her voice reverberating off the stone walls. The Fayth just looked at her, expression unchanging.

"I am sorry. Maybe you will find the answers you seek in Zanarkand."

"We're going to Zanarkand?" Lumina balked.

"Close the Rift," the Fayth repeated. "Destroy us. Let the Dream end."

"Yeah, okay, we get it." She turned to Lunic. "Come on, we're not getting anything else out of this thing."

She turned to leave but Lunic raised his head, broaching one more question to the Fayth. "How do we get there? How do we close the Rift?"

"You are the bridge," The Fayth responded, as the pyreflies began to swirl and circle around it. "You know the way."

"Wait—!"

In a bright flash of light, the Fayth was gone and Lunic and Lumina stood blinking in the darkness. The anxiety slowly returned, weighing heavy in Lunic's gut. If anything, he had even more questions now. And he wished terribly that their parents had been there to hear everything. Relaying it wasn't going to be an easy task. What's worse was that it sounded like they now had a quest. One that, if they ignored, put the entirety of Spira in danger.

Together, Lunic and Lumina made their way out of the temple and back through Besaid. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Lunic looked up from his feet as they reached their cabin in time to see the very hint of a rosy pink sunrise stretching across the horizon. If he was lucky, and able to shut out the Fayth's words for more than a few seconds, he'd get at least an hour of sleep before his parents woke him.

Granted he was able to sleep at all.

Following Lumina inside when she held the door open for him, Lunic kicked off his boots and trudged upstairs. He was about to turn for his room when Lumina grabbed his arm and pulled him around.

"Hey—,"

"Don't say anything about this to mom and dad yet, okay?" Her grip on his arm tightened almost nervously. "At least not yet. Maybe tonight. Let's just…See if we can make sense of it first."

Lunic wanted to argue, the whole reason they'd gone was so that their father would have answers, but he was too tired to battle with his sister. Instead, he jerked his arm away, nodded and shuffled towards his room. He could feel Lumina's eyes on his as he walked away, boring into his back until he shut the door, locking her out. Crawling into bed, Lunic closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and begging for sleep to come.

Of course, as he suspected, it did not, and he only managed to toss and turn for a few hours until there was a soft knock on his door and he could hear his mother's voice from the other side.

"Lunic?"

"I'm awake," he called, throwing the covers off in frustration and slouching out of bed.

It wasn't until he opened the door that he realized he was still wearing his thick robe from their excursion to the temple. Yuna blinked down at him, obviously confused by his choice in sleepwear, but before she could point it out he stammered, "I…Was cold."

Her eyes flickered to the mountain of quilts on his bed and then back to what Lunic knew was the petrified face of a horrible liar. Whether by luck, or some higher power, however, she did not question him and instead gestured for him to follow her downstairs.

He did, somewhat reluctantly, worry for what he might find of his father gnawing at his heart. Tidus was clearly still here. If he'd faded away during the night, he doubted that his mother would be so calm this morning. Then again, if Yuna was a master of anything, it was guarding her emotions. Lunic would be surprised if she'd gotten any sleep last night either. He doubted any of them had, for that matter.

Lunic realized he was right as he rounded the corner to the kitchen and came face-to-face with the tired figure of his father. He sat at the table across from Lumina, a brilliant grin spreading his cheeks despite the exhaustion in his eyes.

"What's this about, dad?" Lumina asked, peering warily at Tidus as he fiddled with something behind his back.

"I wasn't able to give you your gift yesterday," he explained, smile falling slightly. "Because of all…Well, the—You know."

_Tactful._

"But!" Tidus perked up again. "I wanted to give you something very important. You're seventeen now, the same age I was when I received this gift from your Uncle Wakka. And someday, maybe you'll be able to pass it down to your own child."

"Dad!"

He waved a hand furiously. "Not—In the far, far future, of course. It's symbolic!"

Lunic knew he shouldn't have been surprised by his father's cheerful attitude this morning. Tidus was nothing if not the optimist. But even still, he deserved to feel the fear that Lunic knew must be eating away at him. Especially after last night.

"What is it?" Lumina asked, obviously now curious despite the embarrassed blush on her face.

Careful of the kitchen table, Tidus withdrew his sword from behind his back, holding it out before Lumina who gaped at it, blue eyes wide.

"You're giving me your sword?" Her voice was small, almost like a bewildered child's.

Tidus nodded, his smile returning. "Brotherhood is yours now. I hope you never have to use it, of course. But this sword carries a heavy legacy, one that I think you're ready to bear too."

Lumina reached out, touching the surface of the blade with careful fingers. She stood up suddenly, her chair screeching on the floor as she rounded the table and threw her arms around Tidus. Her reaction seemed to surprise him, but he took it in stride, chuckling and squeezing her back.

Lunic knew what it was the remnant of their conversation with the Fayth bringing tears to her eyes, not the sword. They hadn't received a clear answer in regards to their father's fate. But Tidus didn't know this and his chuckles faded as he felt her beginning to shake.

"Hey, you alright?"

Lumina nodded against his chest. "Yeah, I just…I really like the sword…"

She squeezed him tighter and Tidus groaned exaggeratedly. "Oof, not so tight. You're gonna break your old man's back."

Slowly, Lumina released him, rubbing the tears from her cheeks and returning his trademark grin. "Thanks, Dad. I'll take good care of it."

"That's all I ask," he replied, ruffling her hair and then turning to greet Lunic and Yuna, who still stood near the edge of the kitchen. "When did you two get here?"

Before either of them could answer, there was a knock on the front door and Lulu appeared, poking her head in before entering. "Yuna?"

"We're in the kitchen," Yuna replied, sweeping past Lunic to greet the former black mage.

Lunic watched as the two exchanged a few quiet whispers, heads tilted close together, no doubt discussing his father. When Tidus rounded the corner they looked up and stopped talking.

"Hey, Lulu," Tidus greeted her as if it were any other normal morning. "Here for breakfast?"

"No…" Even Lulu looked concerned by his cheerfulness. "I was just…Saying good morning."

It was beginning to irritate Lunic that everyone seemed fine with just ignoring last night's past events. It was as his mother had told them, it was easier to ignore than to wonder and worry. But he was seconds away from bursting with all the information he and Lumina had learned last night. The only thing stopping him was the knowing glare his sister gave him from across the room.

"Well, I'll—Leave you to it," Lulu stumbled uncharacteristically over her words. "Vidina will be headed out for practice soon. I…Assume you're still holding it today?"

"'Course," Tidus grinned. "Why wouldn't we be?"

The others shifted awkwardly, glancing at one another, and then Lulu excused herself and Yuna hurried about making breakfast while Lumina ran upstairs to grab her blitz gear and Lunic took a seat across from Tidus at the table.

"You look tired, bud," Tidus observed, ignorant to the exhaustion in his own eyes. "Sleep okay?"

Lunic could only nod, his throat tightening with guilt. "You?"

He saw a flicker of shame pass over Tidus' face, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. "Yeah, just fine."

Lunic didn't believe him for a second, but he said nothing. Breakfast found its way to the table not long after and they all ate in relative silence. No matter how hard everyone was trying to pretend everything was alright, the truth hung heavy in the air.

Tidus gathered Lumina up as soon as they were finished and the two headed for practice at the beach. Tidus was coach for the Auroch's now, claiming he was too old to play anymore, but Lunic had always thought he'd retained his youthfulness. Before it had impressed him, now it worried him that maybe it had something to do with his existence as a dream. Did they age the same way? Or at all?

Lumina waved to Yuna before they left, but not before catching Lunic's gaze and mouthing the word, 'later'. She gave him a meaningful stare and then Tidus called to her and she bolted out the door. Lunic hurried to the window, watching them go, a pang of jealousy stabbing at his chest.

He'd never been one for Blitzball. And Tidus had _tried_. What father didn't want to teach their son to play the sport they loved? And especially, Lunic knew, because his grandpa had done the same with his father. But Lunic hated it. He hated the sand, the water, the rough play. Lumina was enraptured however. And Tidus had taken her under his wing by the time she was five. She was the Auroch's star player now, following in his footsteps and meanwhile, Lunic toiled his days away at a forgotten temple.

Learning an about a world that no longer existed.

He felt Yuna's hands on his shoulders suddenly and looked up just in time for her to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Are you alright?" she asked, catching the distress he was sure was clear on his face.

He nodded and turned to face her. "Do you need any help around the house today?"

She looked a bit surprised by his offer, but it clearly wasn't unwelcome and before he knew it Lunic was on his knees scrubbing away at the kitchen floor. Menial work, but he was grateful for the mindless task. At least for the moment he could try to forget the Fayth's warning and pretend like everybody else that it was a normal day.

That his world hadn't turned upside down.

He heard another knock on the door, but Yuna was there before he even had a chance to stand up. There was a quiet murmur and he heard the heavy shuffle of Lulu's dress as she entered the cabin again. Lunic kept his head down, peering only out of the corner of his eye as the two women convened in the living room. They took a seat at the couch and Lunic could see their mouths moving, but he wasn't close enough to hear.

Setting down his brush, Lunic stood and crept across the floor he'd just cleaned to the entrance of the living room. Crouching, he pressed his ear to the wall and strained to hear.

"—he wants to see the Fayth himself. I…told him no."

"Why?"

"What if something happens? What if the Fayth takes him away?"

"Don't you think that's a possibility whether he sees the Fayth or not?"

"That's what he said too…"

"If last night was any indication, it could happen at any moment."

"But why, Lulu? Why now?" His mother's voice was desperate. "It's been seventeen years. I thought, surely, after the kids were born—,"

"I don't have any answers for you, Yuna. Only the Fayth will. Perhaps _you _should speak with him? If not Tidus."

"You're right…I know you're right. I'll go. I just…I'm afraid."

"Of what you might hear?"

"Yes."

Lunic wanted to scream. He had the answers. Sort of. But Lumina had sworn him to secrecy and he'd agreed for some stupid reason. If he told them without her she'd skin him alive.

"Lunic told me something last night," Lulu said slowly, and Lunic froze, his heart stilling in his chest. "He said that the Fayth had told him about a Rift. Being a child born of both worlds."

Yuna did not respond, but Lunic could nearly hear the wheels in her head turning.

"I thought…Only Summoners could speak with the Fayth."

"I thought so too," Lulu agreed." Summoners or creatures of a similar nature. The Unsent…Dreams. Tidus and Sir Auron could speak with them as well during your pilgrimage, could they not?"

"But what does that mean for Lunic?" There was a hint of panic in Yuna's voice.

"I…" Lulu trailed off. "I don't know."

_The bridge._

The words echoed in Lunic's head loudly, like a scream. He jumped when he heard his mother getting to her feet, followed by the jingle of Lulu's many bracelets. Scurrying back to the kitchen, he grabbed his brush and began scrubbing furiously at the floor.

"I'll go now," Yuna was saying as she and Lulu headed for the door. "I have to. Lunic?"

He scrambled into the hallway when she called him, trying his best to appear utterly casual. "Yeah, Mom?"

"I'm going out with Lulu. I'll be back in a bit, alright?"

"Cool, sounds good." He gave her a weak thumbs up, squirming when Yuna paused and just looked at him for a few moments. Suddenly, she crossed the hall and pulled him into a hug, pressing a kiss against the top of his head and lingering there. When she pulled away, cupping his cheeks tenderly, he saw tears glistening in her eyes. She gave him a tight smile and then turned on her heel and followed Lulu out of the cabin.

Lunic watched her go, the house suddenly large and oppressive now that he was alone.

Would the Fayth appear to her? Would she understand better than they had? Lunic was tempted to run after her, but instead he stood rooted to the spot, legs heavy as lead. Slowly, he went back to his task, scrubbing the already clean floor until it gleamed underneath his feat and his hands ached with newly formed calluses.

Afterwards, he wandered the house restlessly, trying to read but finding the words simply floated meaninglessly before his eyes. It was nearly an hour before Yuna returned and when she did, Lunic couldn't help but notice the dejected slump in her shoulders. Either she'd had no luck reaching the Fayth, or she had and whatever it told her had only served to worry her further.

Holding his tongue, Lunic helped her with lunch, his anxiety beginning to build the longer they waited for Tidus and Lumina. Practices weren't a short affair, but Lunic found himself worrying that something had happened to Tidus again as the time stretched on. Of course, he knew if something had, Lumina would have come to them. Even still, the unease was impossible to shake.

Finally, the two returned, covered in sand and sweat. Tidus' skin was a shade paler than usual, but before Lunic could ask if he was okay, Lumina threw her practice bag down and whirled to face them. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her gaze accusatory as she peered at Tidus. "Dad passed out during practice."

Tidus' mouth opened as if he wanted to argue, his blue eyes darting to Yuna then Lunic, but no excuse was forthcoming.

"What?" Yuna was at his side in an instant, one hand brushing his messy bangs aside to check his temperature. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tidus replied, trying to remove her hand, but she slapped him away. "It was a little hot outside and I didn't get enough sleep last night. No big deal."

Lunic couldn't shake the feeling that his father's unconscious state hadn't been a dreamless one. And from the haunted look in his eye, Lunic knew he was probably right. He looked toward his sister, who caught his gaze and then nodded firmly.

But before Lunic could explain to his parents what they'd heard from the Fayth though, Lumina spoke.

"We went to see the Fayth last night."

Both Tidus and Yuna whipped around, shocked. Or rather, Yuna looked shocked, Tidus just seemed somehow even more tired.

"Oh, sorry," Lumina looked around innocently, offering a single shrug. "I wasn't sure how much longer we were going to pretend Dad's not seconds away from pissing off the face of Spira all together."

"Lumina!" The objection came from Yuna, but Lumina didn't apologize. In fact, if anything her face hardened further.

"Lunic?" Tidus drew his son's attention, his tone much more calm. "Did you see the Fayth again?"

Lips thinning, Lunic nodded once. The Fayth's words still didn't make much sense, but maybe now his parents could help. And in any case, one thing had been abundantly clear.

"What did he say?"

A heavy silence fell over the family as they waited for Lunic's response.

"We have to go to Zanarkand."

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Nobody said anything at first.

Both Tidus and Yuna simply stared at Lunic, confusion written on their faces.

"To…_New_ Zanarkand?" Tidus tried to clarify.

The city of lights had been rebuilt in all its glory, its construction completed a few short years ago. Lunic had visited it only once, when his father had been considering moving the entire family there. However, upon their arrival, Tidus had expressed his severe disappointment with the city, claiming it was nothing more than a glorified tourist trap. He hadn't exactly been wrong, the amount of people coming to visit the city was extraordinary, but that hadn't stopped Lunic from finding it any less impressive. In any case, they'd stayed on Besaid after that. And Lunic knew that was not the city the Fayth had been referring to.

"No, Dad. To _your_ Zanarkand. The Dream," Lunic tried to explain, knowing he was probably making very little sense.

Tidus' face scrunched up, his nose wrinkling in a manner not dissimilar to Lumina's. "What are you talking about 'my Zanarkand'? It faded years ago…It…Doesn't exist anymore. It can't."

But Lunic shook his head, casting a nervous glance at Lumina before beginning to explain what the Fayth had told them the night before. His parents' expressions grew darker as they listened, Tidus eventually moving to the living room where he collapsed into one of the armchairs, hiding his face in his hands.

"It's back…?" he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't understand."

He looked back up at his family, who had gathered around him anxiously, his eyes landing on Yuna. "Did you know about this?"

"No." Yuna's gaze dropped to her feet, ashamed. "But I did try to speak with the Fayth…"

Tidus dropped his chin to his chest and heaved a weary sigh.

"He didn't appear," she continued, as if that would assuage him. "Not to me."

"So all we have to go off of is what you two heard." Tidus' expression was hard when he looked back up, his eyes like blue chips of steel. Lunic suddenly felt small underneath his gaze. It wasn't something he was used to associating with his father.

Instead of a response, he nodded meekly. Lumina spoke up, however, taking a step forward to put herself between Lunic and Tidus.

"The Fayth told us we have to get to Zanarkand and close the Rift before it rips through to Spira and destroys it," she explained, folding her arms over her chest as if daring Tidus to argue.

"But what is it that is the Fayth wanted you to stop?" Tidus asked, his eyes darting away from Lunic to Lumina. "I don't understand what's building in there. There's got to be something you're missing."

"From what I can make of it," Yuna interjected. "Zanarkand's reality is threatening to enter and take over our own unless we find some way to send it."

"Send an entire city? An entire reality?" Some of the steel had faded from Tidus' eyes, replaced by what Lunic could only describe as fear.

"It can't be any more difficult than defeating Sin," Yuna murmured.

"You think you can do it?" Tidus breathed, his eyes locked on Yuna's.

"I have to."

Lumina was glancing back and forth between their parents. Suddenly, she threw her hands up, demanding their attention.

"Hold on! This mission was assigned to us." She gestured to herself and Lunic. "They Fayth called us the 'bridge'. We're the only ones who can close the Rift. He didn't say anything about sending or summoners."

Both Tidus and Yuna had turned their attention on her, exchanging a single glance before shaking their heads in unison.

"Absolutely not," Yuna said.

"We're not going to let you two carry the fate of all of Spira," Tidus agreed. "This is dangerous."

"Yeah, no shit," Lumina spat, ignoring the hisses of 'language' she got. "And the Fayth came to us. Not Mom. Not you. He told us what _we_ have to do to stop Zanarkand from destroying everything. If you two want to help? Sure. But you don't have the power to stop it yourselves."

"And what power is that exactly?" Tidus asked, rising from his chair as Lumina took an uncomfortable step back.

"Uh…We…Lunic?"

Lunic shrunk again under his father's questioning gaze. "The Rift?"

"You don't know," Tidus concluded, rubbing his forehead.

"In our defense, the Fayth really likes to talk in circles," Lumina shrugged. "He said we were the bridge and that we'd know the way. If I had to assume, I'd guess that we have some way to close the Rift."

"The Fayth said that they were the connection between Zanarkand and Spira," Lunic tried, voice quavering. "And he did appear to us. So maybe we have some sort of power that will let us connect with them?"

"And do what?" Yuna asked, her eyes now full of concern.

"I…Don't know," Lunic relented, hanging his head. When he spoke again, he attempted to muster every ounce of conviction he could. "But the only way we're gonna find out is if we go to Zanarkand."

Again, Tidus and Yuna looked at one another questioningly. Finally, Tidus gave a small nod and turned back to his children.

"Alright, look…Even if the Fayth came to you, there's no way we're letting you do this alone. We're going to gather all the help we can. Even then, the Fayth said you were both a 'bridge', meaning once you two figure out how to open this…bridge…to Zanarkand, you stay here on this side until we come back."

"That won't work," Lunic objected and Lumina nodded her assent furiously.

"What if you guys get into trouble on the other side, or get stuck? We'd have no way to communicate with you. We're going."

Tidus' face twisted with frustration, but he didn't try to argue Lumina's points. "Then…One. One of you will come. I'm not putting you both in danger."

"I'll go," Lumina said immediately and despite his better judgment, Lunic spoke up.

"No, I'm going."

Lumina whirled to glare at him, anger flashing in her blue eyes, but Lunic ignored her.

"The Fayth came to me first. If this is anyone's mission, it's mine."

"You're just a kid," Lumina argued.

"A kid who knows a lot more about Zanarkand and the Fayth than you do," Lunic shot back.

Tidus stepped between them before Lumina could reply. "Enough!"

The two quieted and Lunic glanced over to his mother, who had gone eerily silent. Her gaze was downcast, arms drawn up around herself. It was a mirror image of last night, Lunic remembered. When she'd tried to hold herself together as her whole world fell apart. A sudden wave of guilt washed over him. He wanted to run and hug her, to comfort her and tell her that this would all be okay. That they'd close the Rift and come home safe and sound. There was no way it would take them any longer than a day.

But he stood still, on the other side of his father, who was running his hands through his hair, deep in thought.

"Alright," he began slowly. "Let's call the others, Yuna. We'll see what they have to say about all of this and then we can decide what to do. Ask Rikku if she can get down here by tonight. And Paine, maybe? I'll go grab Lulu and Wakka."

Yuna nodded, but offered no verbal response, instead heading for the Commsphere settled on the side table by the couch. Tidus cast one last concerned glance at Lunic and Lumina before leaving the cabin for Wakka and Lulu's.

Lumina scoffed to herself and moved for the stairs. Meanwhile, Lunic stood by haplessly as his mother made a call first to Rikku, who agreed to be back on the island by nightfall, and then Paine. Lunic had only met the stoic warrior a few times, back when she was still sphere hunting. He knew now that she lived in New Zanarkand as an Enforcer. She too agreed to meet with them and then the Commsphere went dark and the room fell silent. Lunic wanted to say something, anything. But when his mother's grief filled eyes fell on him, he couldn't find his voice. Instead, he looked away, scuffing his feet across the carpet.

After a prolonged silence, one thought managed to fall from his lips. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Yuna assured him, arms still tight around her middle. "I just…I thought we were done with all of this. Years ago. I never wanted any of this for you two."

Lunic just nodded, unable to find an appropriate response to assuage her. Instead, he mumbled another apology and slumped up the stairs towards his room. It would be awhile before Rikku and Paine arrived and until then he wanted to think of an argument for why he was needed in Zanarkand. If they left him behind…Lunic had a sickening feeling in his gut that everything would go wrong.

* * *

The group gathered in the living room after a few terse greetings. Nobody had seen Paine in a few years, but thanks to the direness of this particular meeting, the reunions had been curt and quick. Lunic sat next to Lumina on the couch, trying not to flinch under the unyielding gazes of six different adults, as Tidus did his best to recount the situation.

"Another Dream Zanarkand?" Wakka clarified after he'd finished. "How…?"

"Shuyin," Tidus reiterated. "Seventeen years ago, when he tried to set off Vegnagun. His hate created another version of Zanarkand through the power of the Fayth and his memories."

"And now its existence threatens Spira's," Lulu murmured half to herself.

"And we have to close it up?" Rikku asked from where she sat perched on the edge of the armchair next to Paine. "How do we do that?"

"Well," Tidus paused before glancing at Lunic. "The Fayth appeared to both Lunic and Lumina last night. It told them they have the power to get to Zanarkand. And to close the Rift between it and Spira."

"Again…" Paine cut in. "How?"

"I really don't think we're going to know until we try," Tidus replied, heaving a weary sigh.

"Hold on!" Rikku waved her hands. "You're willing to throw the kids headfirst into something like this? How do we know that this won't hurt them? The Fayth aren't always trustworthy, y'know? Who knows what could happen if they try to mess with this Rift thing."

"You think we haven't thought about that?" Yuna asked and Rikku looked at her feet, guilt clear in the way her shoulders slumped. "…I'm not sure we have a choice."

"We could always try on our own first," Paine suggested, her ruby eyes on Lunic, making him squirm. "If it doesn't work, then we know the Fayth was telling the truth and we let them come."

"Whether it works or not isn't the point," Tidus argued. "We can't risk their lives on a mission like this. They're kids."

"And we can hear you," Lumina muttered under her breath.

"If the Fayth told you that they were the key," Lulu began slowly. "Then maybe you should heed him."

Tidus gaped at her. "Lulu…"

"We can't know what danger this mission entails. What we do know is that our entire reality is at risk and that they have been given a duty to save it." Lulu's resolve seemed to shake everyone else, save Paine, who nodded her assent.

"We could go with 'em, ya?" Wakka spoke up as the others fell silent. "They need Guardians. We could make sure nothin' happens to 'em."

"He's right," Rikku agreed. "If we have no other choice then the best thing we can do is go with them. I'll do it."

"I will too," Paine agreed without hesitation.

"We will as well," Lulu said, but Yuna shook her head, speaking for the first time.

"The village will need you and Wakka. If you disappear, there will be questions. And if anything were to happen…It could very well fall into chaos. We need someone to guard this side."

"Chaos won't matter much if the whole world goes kablooey, ya?" Wakka muttered. Even still, he stood and patted Tidus' shoulder. "But she's right. We'll stay here and make sure nobody asks too many questions. You, Yuna, Rikku, Paine and the kids…You do what you have to to save Spira."

Tidus nodded firmly and turned to the others. "Then we need a plan. Lunic?"

Lunic perked up, sitting straighter on the couch.

"The Fayth called you the bridge. So, clearly somewhere there's an entrance to Zanarkand…Where do you think you'll find it?"

Lunic considered for a moment, mentally scrolling through the texts he spent his days reading in the temple. Finally, he came up with what he hoped was the right answer. "The Farplane. It's where the energy of the Fayth is the strongest. And if they're connecting Spira to Zanarkand, we can build the bridge between them there."

For a moment, Tidus' blue eyes shone with pride. But it was gone an instant later, replaced with worry and determination. "Alright, then that's what we'll try. Everyone, we'll prepare and rest tonight and set out first thing tomorrow."

Rikku and Paine nodded, following Yuna as she led them to the guest bedroom. Wakka and Lulu bid them a goodnight, Lulu lingering a while longer to rest a hand upon Lunic's shoulder.

"Be careful," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before following Wakka out into the night.

That left Lunic, Lumina and Tidus alone in the living room and Tidus took a seat across from them, folding his hands in his lap.

"If we do this," he began, voice low, "You two will need to listen to every word I say. I know that world, you don't. Anything goes wrong, you do as I tell you, no questions asked. My priority is making sure nothing happens to you two. Do you understand?"

Lunic half expected Lumina to object, but to his surprise, she simply nodded once, her lips set in a grim line. When he realized that Tidus was waiting for his response, Lunic nodded quickly too.

"We understand."

"Good. Then get some sleep."

He waved them away and the two scurried upstairs. They could vaguely hear Rikku and Paine talking to Yuna as they passed the guest bedroom, but Lunic couldn't make out much more than 'it'll be okay, Yunie'.

As he headed to his room, Lunic hoped with all his might that she was right.

* * *

The next morning was somehow even more tense than the night before. Lunic stood by, dressed once again in his white robes as his family gathered their things. His mother and father had dug out their old weapons from the attic the night before. Caladbolg was the jagged blue sword his father carried, and his mother had retrieved her old staff, Nirvana. Ancient and powerful weapons, Lunic knew; ones once used to defeat Sin.

Lumina stood beside him, shouldering Brotherhood with a familiarity that surprised him. It was as if she'd been wielding the weapon all her life. Lunic had been given nothing, save for a small bracer that was supposed to shield him from most spells. The exclusion was for protection, he knew. But it left a sour taste in his mouth. As he looked up at his sister, Tidus' words rang in Lunic's ears.

_I hope you never have to use it._

With luck, she wouldn't. A quick trip to the Farplane. Figure out how to use their 'power' to close the Rift and they'd be back home without anybody having known anything was amiss. Still, he knew it couldn't hurt to be prepared.

Rikku and Paine had armed themselves as well. Rikku with two long blades attached to a circular grip, and Paine with a long silver sword embroidered with a skull at the hilt. Both impressive weapons and it was odd for Lunic to see his family and friends carrying such dangerous equipment around so easily. He'd been born and raised in a time of peace. An Eternal Calm, now suddenly shattered by an unknown threat. It wasn't fair and part of Lunic wanted to find the Fayth and scream at him. To blame him for the pain this revelation was causing his family. But he knew that would do no good. They had a mission to carry out now. And they would succeed.

They had to.

They'd all woken early, hoping to make it to the Celsius before the rest of Besaid awoke. There had been some discussion about where exactly to enter the Farplane. Yuna and Rikku had argued for the hole in the temple, claiming it led to the deepest recesses. But Tidus and Paine seemed to think it would be too dangerous. And Lunic, for his part, didn't feel like they needed to be too deep inside the Farplane in order to find the Rift, especially if it was already opening like the Fayth had said. In the end, they'd agreed to head to Guadosalem and enter through the Farplane Glen.

As they gathered and made their way out of the cabin, Lunic paused, taking one last look at his home. Yuna stopped beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiling softly when he looked up at her.

"We'll be back," she assured him.

Nodding, he closed the door and followed the rest of the party towards the beach where the Celsius was docked. As they drew closer to the enormous red airship, Lunic felt a flutter of excitement take flight in his chest. He'd always loved airships and the feeling of soaring freely through the sky.

Rikku opened the docking bay and the group trudged inside single file just as the first rays of dawn began to spread across the horizon. It was gorgeous, but for some reason, Lunic couldn't shake the sickening feeling it would be the last Besaid sunrise he'd ever see.

As the group entered the airship, they began to disperse. Rikku and Paine headed to the Bridge, while Tidus gestured for Yuna to follow him to the elevator. Lumina and Lunic stood awkwardly in the loading bay as the door closed behind them, but not a single adult paid them any heed. Suddenly, Lumina grabbed Lunic's arm and jerked her chin for the lift, which had just left with their parents in it.

"Follow me," she ordered and led the way to the lift as its doors opened again.

Lunic did, waiting patiently as Lumina pressed a few of the wrong controls in an attempt to get the lift to move. After a moment of struggle, Lunic reached around her and pressed the command for the Cabin.

Lumina wrinkled her nose at him. "I had it."

"I know you did."

She had obviously inherited their father's aptitude for machina.

Lumina huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, the elevator falling into silence as they rode it up to the Cabin. It was empty when they got there, not even the old Hypello that Lunic knew ran the bar and shop was around. Lunic followed his sister up the stairs and only once she'd made sure they were alone on the loft did she turn to address him.

"I've been thinking about what it is exactly we're supposed to do," she began, cracking her knuckles one-by-one in what Lunic knew was a nervous gesture. "And I'm not sure it makes any sense."

"We close the Rift," Lunic replied as if he even knew what that meant.

"Right, but, why do we have to go to Zanarkand to do that? If it's opening, why can't we just close it from our side? And what even is it? How do we get to Zanarkand? The Fayth called us the Bridge, but to me it sounds like we're gonna need that Rift open further to get there in the first place."

Lunic chewed on his lip as he thought. The same questions had been running rampant in his mind, but he had no answers for her.

"Maybe, there's something stopping us from closing the Rift in Zanarkand? The Fayth did say something about a great darkness forming," he tried.

Lumina's brows furrowed with worry. "So you think Mom was right and we'll have to send something?"

Lunic raised his arms in a gesture of utter confusion. Sighing, Lumina turned around and began to pace the Cabin. "Alright, so let's say I'm right and we _do_ have to open this Rift further to get inside, how do we do that?"

"Maybe it'll just come to us?" Lunic suggested, eyes following her as she walked. "Just like the Fayth did?"

"Well, do you want to do it, or do you want me to try?" The expression on Lumina's face suggested that she wasn't willing to embarrass herself in front of the others should she be unable to open whatever Bridge or Rift they needed. Stifling an eye roll, Lunic raised his hand.

"I'll try." Under his breath he muttered, "The Fayth came to me first anyway."

"Yeah, so what?" Lumina spat. "He told us we were both needed. He only found you first because you first because you spend all your time in that stupid old temple."

Lunic was about to take a shot back, but he held his tongue as he realized that arguing over who was most important would get them nowhere. When the time came…He would show them all. "Whatever, let's just try to think of something before we get to Guadosalem, okay?"

Lumina opened her mouth to continue arguing, but seemed to catch herself at the last moment too, deigning instead to sit down on one of the beds and stare angrily at her boots. "Fine."

"Fine."

The rest of the trip Lunic spent staring at the wispy clouds passing by the window, imagining he was outside with them, the wind whipping through his hair, sun warming his face. By the time Rikku's voice came over the intercom, announcing their arrival, Lunic still hadn't thought of anything, but now it was too late.

Following Lumina, the two trudged back to the lift and made their way to the Bridge where everyone was waiting with guarded expressions. If Lunic had to guess, there had been a discussion about them while they were gone.

"Are you two ready?" Tidus asked as they approached.

Lunic nodded, although he didn't feel ready in the slightest. Lumina stood beside him, offering a boisterous grin and a thumbs up.

"We're totally ready. We know what we have to do."

Lunic shot her a poisonous glance, but her eyes were squeezed shut with the force of her fake smile. She didn't need to sell the lie that hard. In any case, Tidus didn't look convinced anyway, and he jerked his chin for them to follow down the loading dock.

Guadosalem was quiet. Lunic knew the inhabitants weren't very sociable beings, preferring the company of the forest they called home. He'd learned a lot about this place from his mother's stories, but never had he visited it himself. Still, he could pick out the large manor built into the trees that lay settled up the hill where he knew the twisted Maester Seymour had once lived, followed by the Gullwings' rival The Leblanc Syndicate. Lunic was tempted to peek inside to see who or what resided there now, but Tidus had set a brisk pace or the Farplane entrance and he had to struggle to keep up.

They passed a few Guado here and there, each one nearly impossible to pick out from the trees they stood between. The creatures watched the party ascend the hill to the Farplane with large dark eyes, their faces solemn masks. It was a bit unnerving, their stares boring into Lunic's back as he walked close behind his father.

Once they'd passed the main entrance, they were greeted with an enormous flight of shallow stone steps. Tidus led the way, taking them two-by-two, followed closely by Rikku and Paine, then Lumina and Lunic, and finally Yuna, who took up the rear. They had just reached the edge of the Farplane entrance when a voice called out, stopping them in their tracks.

"Lady Yuna?"

Lunic turned around to see a tall Guado with green hair…or whatever it was they called it…sprouting from his head in a twisting pattern. He was approaching them with a smile on his withered face and Yuna had moved a few steps lower to greet him.

"Tromell." She smiled at him as he took her hand in between his elongated ones. "It's good to see you."

"It's been many years," the Guado, Tromell, mused in his wispy voice. "I see quite a few familiar faces amongst your party. But some, I don't recognize?"

Yuna looked back at the gathered group and gestured for Lunic and Lumina to step forward. Lunic did cautiously. He knew Tromell from the stories. The Guado had changed since his years as a servant of Maester Seymour's, but all the Guado were succeeding in making Lunic nervous; if for no other reason than their tree like appearance.

"Tromell, these are my children," Yuna said, placing a hand on Lunic's shoulder and then Lumina's as they came closer. "Lunic and Lumina."

Tromell made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a chuckle."My Lady's children?" His dark eyes swept over Lunic. "A strapping young lad and a beautiful young woman. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, little ones."

"Yuna," Tidus called down to her, and she turned to acknowledge him, nodding once.

"I'm afraid we need to hurry, Tromell," Yuna said, beginning to push both Lumina and Lunic away with the hands she still had on their shoulders.

"Is there business My Lady is attending to in the Farplane?"

"You could say that…"

Tromell's face twisted in confusion. "Should we be concerned? We Guado have felt a strange presence emanating from the Farplane lately….Would this have something to do with your visit?"

"It's nothing to worry about, really," Yuna replied in a tone that was completely unconvincing, especially with an entire armed party behind her.

Tromell didn't question her, however. He looked up at the group, then back at Yuna and nodded, his beard touching his chest. "Be safe, Lady Yuna. You have never let Spira fall into darkness before."

Yuna gave him a tight smile and then hurried Lunic and Lumina back up the stairs towards the others. Tidus waited until they'd gathered and then pushed into the Farplane entrance. As they entered one-by-one, Lunic cast a final glance back at the old Guado, who was still peering at them with his large dark eyes.

With a shiver, Lunic hurried into the Farplane, and what he saw stole his breath away. Hundreds upon hundreds of pyreflies danced and floated through the air. Endless waterfalls cascaded from smoky clouds hanging high above, a blue hazy moon barely visible through them. Beds of flowers with delicate petals coated the ground and all around them was the gentle hum and whisper of the pyreflies.

Lunic could feel the power radiating from this place in his very core. It buzzed inside of him, echoing deep inside his chest like a call.

"Alright," Tidus' voice drew him from his awe struck reverie. "Lunic, let's see what you can do."

Lunic blanched for a moment, freezing as he realized he still had no idea what to do. Everyone stood staring at him now, even Lumina, who looked more than nervous on his behalf. Mind spinning for an answer, Lunic took a few steps away from the group into the center of the glen and drew in a deep breath. The fog in his brain seemed to clear as he did, the hum inside of him growing louder.

Closing his eyes, Lunic tried to focus on the same feeling, the same thoughts, he'd had when he'd called the Fayth in the temple. Almost unconsciously, he reached out with one hand, palm open, towards the clouds of pyreflies surrounding them.

_Show me the way…_

If the Fayth was truly the connection between this Dark Zanarkand and Spira, its power was what Lunic had to tap into to get there. That had to be the answer.

Lunic waited, focusing, but for a moment…nothing happened. He could hear the others shifting behind him impatiently and he was sure his father was about to speak when suddenly, a tingling sensation bloomed in the center of his palm. Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, he focused on the feeling, and it began to grow, moving outward from his palm to his arm. Then his his entire body. From behind him, he heard a gasp and when he opened his eyes he saw a white glow emanating from his palm, mirroring what he felt inside.

The pyreflies began to swirl and spin and dance in tights circles. Faster and faster and faster. As they moved a pressure suddenly built in Lunic's chest, constricting his breathing. It tightened painfully as a glow that mirrored the one from his palm began coming from the assembled pyreflies and for a moment, Lunic almost stopped. The breath left his lungs entirely and it felt as if a shoopuf were now sitting on his shoulders. He was beginning to shake with the strain of it all when suddenly the pyreflies exploded in a ball of light and before him there was a swirling green circle. Inside, Lunic could see shadows moving and twinkling lights. There was nothing concrete, it all looked like a ghostly apparition, but Lunic felt in his bones that was it.

Zanarkand.

"Holy Spira," Rikku whispered.

"He did it," Paine mused, just as breathlessly.

The pressure was blindingly painful now, but Lunic held his concentration, groaning through gritted teeth as the others gaped. "Go…"

"Lunic?" Lunic knew his father intended to check on his wellbeing, but if they didn't hurry, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold the portal open and if it closed now, he wasn't sure he'd be able to open it again.

"Go!"

The others hurried past him quickly, stepping into and disappearing through the portal until only Lumina remained. She held out her hand and Lunic took a step forward, arm still outstretched to hold open the portal.

"Let's go! This is it."

At the last second, Lumina grabbed his hand and pulled him through, the portal sliding shut behind them as Lunic let his arm fall.

* * *

Zanarkand was absolutely still; which struck Lunic as odd considering what he'd heard about the City That Never Sleeps. Hundreds of lights, not unlike the pyreflies they'd just seen, towered above him, set in enormous buildings. But there were no people to be seen, or noises to be heard. It was silent.

For a moment, Lunic thought maybe he'd done something wrong, or taken them to the wrong place. This couldn't be the right city.

"Are we…really here?" Yuna's voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah…" Tidus replied. "I think so."

Lunic hunched over, his head spinning and body aching fiercely. They'd made it, but the question was…What now?

Lunic didn't have the chance to voice his thoughts before an explosion rang through the air, the booming impact taking him off his feet. He landed on the cold concrete streets, hard, the fall knocking the air from his lungs. He lay on his back, staring up at the smoke that covered the bright stars as he tried to regain his bearings. Somewhere he could hear his father calling his name, but his voice was muffled, as if it were coming from underneath the ocean.

Slowly, Lunic turned onto his side, groaning as his newly formed bruises ached. When he looked up, he saw that the others had been scattered by the explosion as well. Paine was helping Rikku to her feet, Yuna and Lumina were a few yards away, crouched next to an alleyway, and Tidus was nowhere to be seen, although Lunic could still hear his voice calling through the ringing in his ears.

Suddenly, he felt a hand tight around his arm, and then he was being yanked to his feet. He whirled around and there his father's face appeared before his eyes. A trickle of blood was running down Tidus' temple and his eyes were filled with concern, but he looked otherwise unharmed.

"Are you alright?" Tidus' voice was becoming clearer now, but before Lunic could reply a screeching whistle cut the air.

Tidus looked up, eyes widening, and then threw his arms around Lunic and then took them both to the ground. The next impact shook the concrete beneath Lunic, but he was saved from any of the flying shrapnel by his father's body.

"Tidus!" He heard Yuna calling out, and peeked over his father's shoulder to see her and the others all gathered in the alleyway, waving them over frantically.

Leaping to his feet, Tidus pulled Lunic up, keeping a hold of his hand as they ran to the alley. They crashed into the embrace of the others, Lumina grabbing Lunic and wrapping her arms around his shoulders to keep him close as another two explosions shook the entire city.

"What do we do?" Rikku shouted over the chaos as bits of shrapnel flew up a few yards away from them.

The group looked to Tidus, who seemed just as confused and lost as the rest of them, although it was clear he was trying desperately to think of a way out of this. Before he could respond, Lumina yelped and whirled her and Lunic around.

Suddenly, Lunic was face-to-face with a young man. He stood a little taller than Lumina, his shaggy black hair covered in dust and grit, green eyes burning fiercely as he took them all in.

"Come with me!" he hissed, turning quickly and hurrying down the alleyway. The others stood still, staring after him in confusion. When he realized they weren't following, he turned around and rolled his eyes. "Come on! If you stick around here you're dead. Follow me; I'm taking you to a bunker."

Tidus took the first step, dashing after the young man and the others followed quickly. Lumina grabbed Lunic's hand as they ran and, for once, he didn't feel like pulling away. He looked up just in time to see fire streak across the sky as more bombs fell, crashing through the towering peaks of the magnificent buildings.

"This is wrong," Tidus murmured almost to himself as they ran. "What's going on here?"

The young man looked back at him, face twisted in confusion. "What do you mean? The war is going on. Where have you been living?"

"Spira," Tidus muttered, and it was almost a disdainful growl.

But Lunic's mind was reeling with the words the man had just uttered. Somehow, they'd found their way to Zanarkand. But not only that, he realized as the pieces fell into place…

They'd found themselves in the middle of the Machina War.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Until next time...**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry for the wait!**

* * *

The young man led them all to the entrance of what looked like an armored cellar set against the side of a building in an older sector of the city. With a heave, he threw open the door and waved the others inside two-by-two. Lunic still held tightly to Lumina's hand as they plunged into darkness. For a moment, all he could hear was the ragged breathing of the group and then there was a sizzle and a click and a row of lights brightened the long hallway they stood in. The lamps adorned each side of the hall, leading off around a curve that Lunic could only assume eventually found its way to the bunker mentioned earlier.

The dark haired man pushed to the front of the group and began making his way down the hall without looking back. Tidus followed him first, jerking his chin for the others to follow. And they did, albeit cautiously.

It had been enough of a shock to land in the Zanarkand of one thousand years ago, but in the middle of a war was another surprise entirely. The Fayth hadn't mentioned anything about this and Lunic was quickly realizing that their very lives were at stake in this world. If anything happened to them here, it wasn't very likely they'd end up in the Farplane and that meant facing the afterlife as a fiend.

_So don't die._

Lunic imagined what Lumina's words would be if she could hear his thoughts and took comfort in the brazen honesty of it.

As they walked, Lunic found himself wondering how his father was handling seeing his home lost in the turmoil of war. It couldn't be easy. But he was still leading them calmly, his expression set with determination. It soothed Lunic to see him to collected, whether that was truly the case or not. Their guide wound around the corner, disappearing from view and that was when Tidus turned his head to address the rest of the group.

"We need a plan," he said, his eyes darting quickly to where the young man had disappeared. "We can't let whoever we meet know how we got here or what we're doing."

"Obviously," Paine drawled. "I'm not sure they'd take it too well if they knew we were here to destroy their entire reality."

"So what do we tell them?" Rikku squeaked, her voice quivering slightly.

"Just follow my lead," Tidus whispered as the group rounded the corner as well.

The winding hallway had spat them out into a small square room. It was furnished nicely with a couch set against one wall, and a few beds against another. There was a small sphere screen playing what looked like a live recording of the bombing outside and to the right a tiny kitchen with a bar, behind which stood a tall woman with dark skin and darker hair pulled up into a ponytail. As they entered, her golden eyes landed on Lunic with such venomous animosity that he felt as if she'd cast a stone spell on him.

"Kole," her voice came through gritted teeth. "What the hell is this?"

"Danika," the boy who had led them here, Kole, was approaching her with his hands raised, as if cornering a rabid fiend. "They were out there in the middle of the bombing zone. I couldn't leave them behind."

The woman, Danika, threw down the towel she'd been running over the countertop and stormed around to point a finger in his chest. "This is our spot, Kole. _Our_ safe zone. You don't bring strangers here. How do you know they're not spies, huh?! I've never seen them around here before."

"We're not with Bevelle," Yuna spoke up from where she stood beside Tidus. Danika's eyes flickered to her and her expression hardened somehow further.

"Did I ask you? If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut."

To Lunic's surprise, even his mother seemed to shrink away from the venom in the woman's tone. Tidus on the other hand, raised his voice to match her simmering anger.

"Don't treat us like we're the enemy, you don't even know us." He took a step forward, but Danika didn't back away.

"You're right, I don't know you. And that's exactly why I don't want you here. This is a war, in case you didn't know. It's a fiend eat fiend world out there and I'm not about to put myself and my friends in danger for a bunch of randos Kole found on the street." She paused to look them up and down, taking in their clothes and weapons. "So why don't you tell me then…Who exactly are you? And what are you doing running around in the middle of a war zone?"

Tidus' brow furrowed and he opened his mouth, probably with the intent to fight back, but Yuna placed a gentle hand on his arm and he paused to meet her gaze. Lunic knew the effect his mother had on his father's sometimes tumultuous temper. He was never cross with them, but losing a Blitzball match, or arguing with an opposing teammate, well…his father had never been someone to back away from a challenge. Luckily, Yuna had always had the ability to quell his more hot headed tendencies.

Sighing, Tidus looked back to Danika and carefully held out a hand. "My name is Tidus. I…Used to live here in Zanarkand. This is my family and my closest friends. We came here to fight in the war. We mean you and your friends no harm. I can promise you that we are not on Bevelle's side."

A good response, Lunic thought. Just vague enough to hide how they'd gotten here and what they're purpose was. But he doubted Danika was going to let his explanation slide without further questioning.

"See?" Kole's eyes were on Danika, who had still refused to shake Tidus' hand. "They're cool. Just people like us."

But Danika's eyes had narrowed further and she crossed her arms over her chest until Tidus dropped his hand. "You _used_ to live here? So where did you come from then?"

"Bevelle," Tidus replied, without hesitation.

Danika's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I thought you said you _weren't _on their side. This sounds like a load of shoopuf shit from a bunch of spies to me," she scoffed.

"We're not spies!" Rikku spoke up for the first time, exasperated by the argument.

"Then what's with the fancy gear?" Danika pointed to Rikku's chakrams. "Only soldiers carry weapons that impressive."

Rikku hid them behind her back as if that would answer Danika's question.

"We're not spies or soldiers," Paine finally spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "We're resistance fighters."

Lunic knew it was a shot in the dark, but resistance fighters had been commonplace during the Machina War. The books Lunic read had told of many pockets of guerilla Zanarkand forces running failed raids against Bevelle's more powerful machina. Danika's eyebrows rose, but her lips were still turned down in a disbelieving scowl.

"Resistance fighters for Zanarkand….From Bevelle?" she tried to clarify, her drawl dripping with disbelief.

"Dani?" Another smaller voice made them all turn.

Somehow, Lunic had missed the boy lying in one of the beds when he'd initially surveyed the room. He was small, with a wild head of spiky blonde hair and an enormous pair of goggles set askew against his forehead. He was sitting up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he realized the amount of strangers watching him. With a yelp, he threw off the covers and dashed over to Danika and Kole, wiggling between them and peering out at the others with large swirling green eyes.

_An Al Bhed,_ Lunic thought, surprised. If this was really the Machina War from one thousand years ago, then an Al Bhed boy was extremely out of place. Then again, this was a dream, twisted from both Shuyin's memories and the Fayth. Perhaps the rules of reality didn't apply here. Rikku seemed to have noticed too because she gave a little gasp and Paine quickly elbowed her to keep her from startling the boy.

"Who are they?" he asked, stretching up on his toes to whisper to Danika, although the rest could hear him quite clearly.

"Some resistance fighters I picked up," Kole explained and Danika shot him a poisonous look.

"They're not resistance fighters," she spat. "Their story doesn't make any sense!"

"Look, we can explain everything if you give us a chance," Tidus begged. "Just trust that we're not going to hurt you. Please."

Danika looked at him, and then Kole, and finally the young boy clinging to her legs. Finally, she gave a single sharp nod and pointed to the couch. "Sit down and start talking."

Everyone gathered in the makeshift living room, cramming onto the tiny couch, save for Lunic and Rikku who were forced onto the floor. Lunic noticed the Al Bhed watching him, his green eyes flickering away quickly when they met Lunic's.

Danika was still standing, arms crossed over her chest as she examined the group before her. Kole sat next to her in a large plush armchair. He looked more relaxed than his partner, but there was an inquisitive expression on his face, as if he didn't quite believe them either. Lunic had no idea what his father intended to tell these denizens of Dream Zanarkand, but at this point, he doubted anything would sway their reluctant hostess.

"Explain," Danika demanded coolly.

Tidus looked around at the group and then sat up a little straighter on the couch. "As I said before, my name is Tidus. I used to live here, in the upper sectors of Zanarkand back when I was just a kid. When my parents passed away and I missed my shot at playing for the Zanarkand Abes, I felt I had nothing left in the city…So I left. I wandered and made my way to Bevelle, where I met my wife, Yuna."

He paused and took one of Yuna's hands in his own. "I fell in love and decided to leave Zanarkand behind for good and live with her in Bevelle. These are our children. Lumina and Lunic."

Lunic cringed when Danika's eyes fell on him, but Lumina seemed determined to meet the woman's gaze just as defiantly.

"When the war began, we stayed in Bevelle for fear of their safety," Tidus continued smoothly, as if he'd rehearsed this story. "But after seeing how badly Zanarkand was losing, I was reminded of my parents. Of how much they loved this city and how desperately they wanted to see me succeed here. I knew I couldn't betray it, no matter how long I'd been a citizen of Bevelle. I reached out to Rikku and Paine, childhood friends of mine, and they told me just how bad the war was becoming here. I knew I had to do something. So I picked my family up and we left Bevelle to help Zanarkand. Our loyalties lie here. You don't have to be afraid; we're going to help you."

Lunic was impressed. It was a fairly solid story and one he wouldn't have trouble feeding from what he knew of Bevelle from the time of the Machina War. Lumina might need some help, however, since it wasn't very likely she'd be keeping her mouth shut.

Danika glanced at Kole who shrugged and flopped back in his chair, seemingly content with Tidus' explanation. The Al Bhed boy was gazing around at them all curiously, but he too didn't seem afraid any longer.

"And now you're resistance fighters," Danika clarified.

"Yes," Tidus replied.

She scoffed and tossed her hair. "You're pretty sorry excuses for resistance fighters running around like chocobos in the middle of a bombing raid."

"Hey," Lumina spat and Lunic felt his stomach twist in a nervous knot. "We're here to help you guys. The least you could do is show a little gratitude."

"Lumina…" Tidus' tone was a warning.

"If you think _we_ need help from the likes of _you_ then you're overdue for a serious reality check," Danika growled, her ferocious golden eyes on Lumina. Kole stood up then, stepping between the two of them before anything could escalate.

"Alright, everyone calm down. Dani," he placed a hand on her shoulder that she immediately brushed off. "Let's shelter them until the raid blows over then send them on their way, okay?"

"They can't stay with us?" the younger boy spoke up, his eyes now on Rikku. He seemed to have noticed that she was another Al Bhed, because his entire body was practically quivering with excitement.

"We don't need any more mouths to feed, Kitt," Danika explained, her tone softening into something almost unrecognizable as she spoke to him. "It's hard enough to find food around here nowadays."

"We could help," Rikku offered. "Wouldn't it be better if we all stuck together? Strength in numbers?"

Kole raised a brow. "There's not a lot of people around here who think like that in Zanarkand. Especially not in the lower sectors. It's mostly every man or woman for themselves."

"Well that's just stupid," Rikku exclaimed, planting her hands on her hips even as Paine nudged her to be quiet. "I don't see the problem. We need a place to stay, you guys need extra resources. We got the weapons, you got the place…"

"Rikku…" Tidus' warning was now directed at the Al Bhed, but she ignored him too.

"We take care of ourselves," Dani insisted, but Kole grabbed her arm again as she attempted to turn away.

"Dani, think about Duncan. What would he do?"

She whirled on Kole very suddenly and slapped his hand away, her eyes glistening with emotion. "He's not here anymore, is he? So it doesn't really matter what he would do."

"You lost someone," Yuna's voice was quiet, but everyone heard it, including Danika, who turned away from the party and crossed her arms.

"It doesn't matter."

"Just let us stay until the bombing stops," Tidus interrupted before the conversation of their fallen comrade could continue. "Let us regroup and figure out a plan. Then we'll leave you alone."

Danika didn't turn to face them, instead heading for the hallway they'd come from and throwing a single remark over her shoulder. "The second if stops."

Then she was gone.

The room fell silent, with Kitt and Kole now awkwardly left to play hosts. Kole offered them all a nervous smile and opened his mouth, as if to speak, but nothing came out and he quickly sunk back into his armchair. Kitt looked around the room aimlessly, his eyes continuingly darting back to Rikku and occasionally Lunic, although he too said nothing.

Eventually, everyone's attention fell to the sphere screen. It still displayed the chaos outside, but it looked to Lunic as if the bombs were falling more infrequently now. The room shook ferociously a few times; dust falling from the ceiling, and then, finally, all was still.

"Looks like that might be it," Kole murmured, rising from his chair. "You guys wait here. I'll go check it out."

He turned for the hallway and Kitt quickly bounded after him. "Wait up!"

The two rounded the corner and disappeared, leaving the party alone. They all looked to Tidus and Paine gave voice to what they were thinking:

"What now?"

"We need to figure out what we're supposed to be doing here," Tidus mused, his eyes locking with Lunic's. "The Rift. We need to find it, figure out how to close it and get out of here."

"Where do we even start looking?" Rikku whined. "We're in the middle of a war zone."

"Does Zanarkand have a Farplane?" Paine asked.

Tidus shook his head. "My Zanarkand didn't."

"But this isn't your Zanarkand," Yuna objected, her brow furrowed in thought. "The Fayth said this was a creation of Shuyin's."

"But my Zanarkand was a mirror image of Shuyin's, right?"

Lumina suddenly let out a wordless shout, startling them all. "Ugh! Come on. We're not gonna get anywhere _talking_ about all of this stuff. It's too confusing. We need to _see _what we're up against. Let's just get out there and look around."

She had a point, no matter how abrasive, and the others seemed to realize it as much as Lunic did. They didn't have any more time to discuss it, however, as Danika returned to the room, jerking her chin for them to follow.

"Come on, it's time to go."

* * *

Danika led them back through the winding hall to the door they'd come through, ushering them out one-by-one until they all stood crowded together in the alleyway. Kole and Kitt hung back just inside the doorway as Danika pointed them in the direction of the Upper Sectors.

"It's safest up there," she explained. "They've got the soldiers making regular patrols. But I'd be careful waving those weapons around. If they see you with them they'll probably draft you…If they don't arrest you first."

"Thank you for sheltering us," Yuna said, in response to her warning. "We're in your debt."

Danika's scowl deepened. "No you aren't. I told you, we don't need any help."

"Regardless," Tidus continued for Yuna. "We appreciate what you did for us."

Danika waved a hand, blowing away both his gratitude and the rest of the party. "Whatever."

Kole, however, grinned as them as Danika pushed her way back inside. "Be safe out there."

"Yeah, good luck!" Kitt squeaked, waving to Rikku before scurrying after his friends, the heavy metal door swinging shut behind them.

Tidus shook his head and gestured for the others to follow him back out into the streets. As they made their way towards the upper sectors, Lunic's mind began to spin. His father had been right inside; they needed to find the Rift and figure out how to close it. But there were other factors at play here that he hadn't expected. The war was going to be an obstacle no matter where they went, and beyond that, now Lunic had come face-to-face with people he was going to have to destroy. Once this world faded…so would they.

Still…It was them or Spira. He'd been given a mission and he would carry it out, no matter the cost. There was no other choice.

Tidus led the group through an empty city. Debris and rubble were scattered everywhere and Lunic nearly stumbled over a body as they headed across a highbridge. It was a young man, staring wide eyed at the fiery sky above them, his chest torn open, a pool of blood surrounding him. Lunic stumbled away, yelping in fear and disgust. He nearly tripped over his own feet until Yuna caught him by the shoulders and pulled him to her. He hid his face against her shoulder as they walked, trying to quell the terrified trembles now passing through him.

Above them, a few airships were beginning to appear; their bright headlights scanning the broken city for the injured and dead. Tidus was quick to lead them into the alleyways to avoid the searchlights, but Lunic looked back just in time to see them land on the body of the man, a few soldiers descending a moment later to cart him away.

"Where are we going?" Rikku asked as Tidus wound his way through another alleyway and back onto the highbridge. "Do you even know where we are?"

"Yes," he replied, mouth set in a determined line. "So far, this isn't any different than my Zanarkand. There's just…Something I want to see."

The others didn't argue, although Lunic's curiosity was piqued. Tidus led them through the Upper Sectors, passing rows of gated houses until they reached the waterline. There they found a collection of similarly gated boat houses, each one somehow more elaborate than the next. When they reached the end of the row, Tidus stopped, looking up at the boat house towering before them.

"Here," he said, heading for the gate as confidently as if it were his own home. It was then that Lunic realized…this probably was. Or at least, it _had_ been.

"Wait," Rikku hissed, hurrying after Tidus and throwing a hand on his arm to stop him. "What do you think you're doing? What is this place?"

"My home," he replied simply, pulling his arm from her grasp and looking up at the house. "Or what used to be my home."

"Are you sure it's yours?" Paine asked, examining the keypad on the gate. "We're still not sure this is your Zanarkand."

"Well, this is how we find out, right?" Tidus replied, ignoring the rest of their warning please and entering a code into the keypad. There was a brief pause where everyone held their breath, and then a green light emanated from the keypad and the gate swung open. Tidus looked back at them with a triumphant grin.

"My birthday," he explained, before pushing his way inside, leaving the others to follow him with a mixture of cautious curiosity.

The interior of the boat house was relatively simple in contrast to the outside. There was a beautiful black piano situated against the south wall and beyond that a small kitchen. The living room consisted of a circular sofa centered in front of a large sphere screen. To the west lay a door that Lunic could only assume led to a bedroom, and a spiral staircase that twisted to another level he couldn't see.

"Well?" Paine asked, as they gathered in the living room. "Do you recognize it?"

"Sure looks the same…," Tidus murmured, frowning when his eyes fell on the piano. "Except for that."

Carefully, the group began to wander around the house, setting their weapons against the far wall as they explored.

"We should be quick," Paine warned them as they ambled off. "Just because Tidus' code got us in doesn't mean that somebody else doesn't live here now."

"Like another version of me?" Tidus joked with a half smile, but Paine didn't laugh.

"We can't know what we'll find here. And that would certainly be the worst case scenario."

Tidus nodded solemnly, smile now gone.

Lunic looked around the living room, his eyes falling on the sphere screen. He wanted to turn it on to see what was happening outside, but Paine was right, they needed to hurry. He wasn't sure what else his father wanted to see in here. If he wanted to know that his childhood home still existed, well, it appeared he had his answer.

A sudden low note filled the silence in the air and the group whipped around towards the piano where Lumina was standing, her finger poised above a key. She winced and offered an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry…"

Yuna gave Lumina a warning glare, but Tidus had become distracted once again by a trophy case situated near the front door. He opened the case slowly, running his fingers over the shining metal.

"These are mine," he murmured. "I remember all of these."

"They're yours?" Rikku asked, coming up to gaze at them as well.

"Yeah!" Tidus' voice was excited now. "We won this one in the Championship match against the Duggles."

"That can't be right," Paine objected, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing over to Yuna who looked just as confused. "This isn't supposed to be your Zanarkand."

"Maybe the connection runs deeper than we thought," Yuna interjected.

"What do you mean?" Tidus asked. "What connection?"

Before his mother could try to explain, Lunic heard a bang and then the front door swung open and a tall man with messy blonde hair not dissimilar to his father—in any capacity really—entered. He looked up, blue eyes widening as he took in the party of strangers currently occupying what Lunic now assumed was his living room and then took a nervous step back.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"Shuyin…," his mother's voice was a breathless whisper.

"I knew it," Paine muttered

Shuyin's eyes narrowed, his glare falling on Yuna. "I said who are you?" His eyes switched to Tidus who was still standing by the open trophy case. "Fans?"

Tidus seemed too stunned by Shuyin's appearance to reply and Rikku and Paine were busy trying to silently communicate with Yuna. That left Lumina or Lunic to try for an appropriate response and unfortunately, Lunic wasn't fast enough.

"Yes!" Lumina nearly shouted. "Big fans! The biggest! Um…Will you sign this?"

She groped around for anything worth grabbing and eventually landed on a piece of paper that lay atop the piano. Pausing as she caught sight of what was on it, Lumina's eyes narrowed and she brought the paper closer to her face. "Hey…"

"Don't touch that," Shuyin hissed, crossing the room in a few steps and snatching it away from her. "Look, I don't know who you think you all are, but breaking into my home—,"

His eyes landed on Brotherhood and the other weapons that group had left leaning against the wall.

"Who—,"

"We're not here to hurt you," Tidus finally found his voice, although he didn't sound entirely convincing. "Let us explain."

Immediately, Shuyin lifted Brotherhood in one hand and grabbed Lumina around the shoulders with the other, pulling her against him as he held the sword up to her neck.

"No!" Tidus and Yuna both took a step forward, stopping only when Shuyin pressed the sword against Lumina's skin and she winced in pain.

"I don't know who you are," he whispered, voice quavering. "Spies? Soldiers? I don't care. You won't make a single move or the girl pays. Got it?"

"Let her go," Tidus tried, calmly raising his hands in a sign of surrender. "We'll leave. Alright? Just don't hurt her."

"You're not going anywhere," Shuyin growled. "I can't just let you leave. You're going to tell me who you are and what you were doing in my house. Why do you have these weapons? Are you spies?"

"No." Tidus shook his head.

"Soldiers?"

"No, we're not soldiers."

"We're resistance fighters!" Rikku's voice was panicked. "We're on your side."

Shuyin's hand tightened on Brotherhood's grip. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You're just going to have to trust us," Tidus said. "If we were going to do anything to you we would have by now."

"What are you doing here?" Shuyin asked, eyes narrowing.

Tidus cast a glance back at Yuna, and Lunic saw something non-verbal pass between them. In the next second, Tidus took a step forward, his hands still raised.

"It's a long story, but if you'll let us explain, I promise you it will all make sense. Just…Let my daughter go."

Shuyin's eyes flickered down to Lumina and then back to Tidus, but he did not let her go. "Explain."

"We're not from Zanarkand. But we're not from Bevelle either. We came here from Spira."

Immediately, Shuyin's grip on the sword tightened and Lumina cried out.

"Stop!" Yuna pleaded, but Shuyin did not relent.

He jerked his chin to the couch, ordering them to sit and he moved with Lumina in the opposite direction towards the door.

"Explain better," he growled as he approached a keypad next to the door. With the hand not currently occupied with Brotherhood, he input a quick code, a red light now shining from the keypad. "The Zanarkand Guard will be here any minute and if I don't like your story, you're leaving with them."

"Alright, alright, just…Listen, please." Tidus' took a seat on the couch beside the others, drawing Lunic down with him. Despite the fear obvious in his voice, his expression was calm. Yuna, on the other hand, seemed moments away from panicking. And Lunic couldn't blame her. He knew that the last time she'd met this man, he'd been an unstable force hell bent on destroying the world. And now he held her daughter with a weapon poised at her throat.

"We came here from another world….Another dimension. Spira. We're not here to hurt you, but your Zanarkand is breaking into our own reality. We came here to figure out how to stop it."

Shuyin's face hardened; their story obviously coming off as just as confusing and unbelievable as it had sounded to Lunic at first. The sword bit into Lumina's neck and she hissed, but did not stop struggling against his grip.

"Lemme go you wannabe," she growled and Shuyin blinked down at her, momentarily taken aback by her defiance.

Looking back up at Tidus, he tried to clarify, "What's Spira?"

"It's my—your world, but one thousand years in the future," Tidus explained. "I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe—,"

"Liar," Shuyin interrupted. "You're spies sent from Bevelle."

"We're not!" Yuna spoke this time. "Please, Shuyin. You have to listen to us. Don't you—Remember?"

"Yunie," Rikku's voice was a nervous whisper. "I don't think this is the same Shuyin…"

"And even if it was, I'm not sure he would _want_ to remember us," Paine hissed.

"The same Shuyin?" He asked, face twisting in anger and confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Yuna stood up and Shuyin took a step back, the speed of his movement making Lumina choke.

"You know me," she said, despite Rikku and Paine's wordless objections. "You know Spira."

"You're not making any sense!" Shuyin spat. "Sit down!"

"Let her go, please."

"Yuna!" Tidus reached for her arm to pull her back down, but she was walking towards Shuyin now, whose dangerous scowl was only growing deeper.

"Yuna?" he repeated, his expression softening for a split second and the grip he had on Brotherhood loosening.

But before either she or Tidus could make another move, the door slammed open again and an army of soldiers streamed inside. Immediately, the room fell into chaos. Shuyin released Lumina into the arms of a guard, while the others took hold of Lunic's family. He was spared only for a moment before another soldier tugged his own arms behind his back, locking a strange machina around his wrists and shoving him to his knees.

"Spies?" one of the soldiers asked Shuyin, who simply nodded and pointed to their weapons.

"Take them away," another guard ordered.

"Shuyin, wait!" Tidus shouted, struggling against the guard that was holding him."Please, don't do this. Listen to us! Your world depends on it."

Shuyin just glared at him as the soldiers began to march them out one-by-one. Lunic didn't know where they were being taken, but he did know that if they were arrested it mean the end of their mission. Once again, he found himself wondering what exactly would happen if they died in this reality.

"Shuyin!" It was his mother crying out this time. "Please, listen."

Shuyin's eyes flickered to hers briefly before he looked away and raised a hand to close the door behind them.

Yuna struggled against her bonds, shouting one last cry before the door shut. "I know about your plan to save Lenne! I know about Vegnagun!"

Shuyin paused for the briefest of moments and Lunic could have sworn he saw a flash of fear on the man's face. But then the door closed and the soldier holding Lunic shoved him forward onto the loading dock of an airship.

Lunic fell, his head hitting the metal floor and everything went black.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Until next time...**


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